Drugs

The coverage on 23 September focused on drug deaths in Scotland, where the latest figures showed an 11% rise from the previous year. BBC ONE West and ITV1 reported 1,133 deaths in the last calendar year. BBC ONE West said this was 116 more than the previous year and took the decade total above 11,000, while noting the figure was still below the 2020 peak of more than 1,300. ITV1 said it was the seventh consecutive year above 1,000. BBC ONE West and 5 described Scotland as having the highest drug death rate in Europe, while ITV1 described it as the drugs death capital of Europe. BBC ONE West reported that death rates in the most deprived areas were 15 times higher than in the least deprived, that cocaine was involved in more than half of deaths, and that a group of potent synthetic opioids described as nitosines was implicated in more than one in five deaths. ITV1 reported that Glasgow had the highest rate in Scotland, and that the figures came despite tens of millions of pounds in funding, a safe injection room, and more rehabilitation beds. It also broadcast accounts from people in recovery who said help remained difficult to access. BBC ONE West and ITV1 both reported responses from Scottish government ministers who acknowledged the challenge. BBC ONE West reported a minister saying more needed to be done with the UK government; ITV1 reported a minister saying the greater challenge was an increasingly toxic market. BBC ONE West reported opposition criticism that the Scottish government's approach had failed badly, and a call from the Scottish Drugs Forum for an emergency response at greater scale and pace. ITV1 reported that drug checking services intended to address synthetic opioids were delayed. 5 reported expert concern about an increasingly toxic and unpredictable drug supply. ITV1 also reported a UK study showing children as young as 13 had been referred to a specialist clinic in Liverpool for bladder problems linked to ketamine use.

Key Claims by Channel

Sunday 20 September 2026

Claim
Reported by all 2 channels
Scientists said a new drug enters the European market roughly every one to two weeks.		Reported by BBC One
Police raided suspected nitazine labs in Ayrshire and Midlothian and arrested five people.		Reported by BBC One
Nitazines are a particular concern because they are far more potent than heroin.		Reported by BBC One
Police Scotland seized £80 million of drugs last year and £78 million so far this year.
An increase in synthetic opioid supply was one reason annual drug deaths were expected to rise that week.	Reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One
Scientists in Dundee were examining seized drug samples to identify their contents as new substances continued to emerge.	Reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One
Criminals were mixing these substances with other drugs, including Valium-style pills and powdered cocaine.	Reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One
The changing drug supply was affecting rural Scotland, not just urban areas.	Reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One
A group in the Kintyre Peninsula helping former drug users reconnect with nature said its work had been made harder by evolving drug supplies.	Reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One
A person quoted in coverage said drugs had never been as risky or dangerous, that users never knew what they were getting, and that heroin was the better known danger.	Reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One
The drugs were reported to be extremely dangerous.	Reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One
Only on one channel
The EU drugs agency said efforts to reduce Scotland's drug deaths are being frustrated by new powerful and dangerous substances.		Not reported by BBC One
Organised crime groups were profiting from people's misery and police said they would be pursued.	Not reported by BBC News
Dundee had one of the highest illegal drug death rates in Europe.	Not reported by BBC News

Wednesday 23 September 2026

Claim
Widely reported · 3 or more of 4 channels
Scotland recorded more than 1,000 drug deaths last year, an 11% rise and the highest rate in Europe.
Scotland had the highest drug death rate in Europe.		Reported by BBC One	Not reported by Channel 4	Reported by ITV
Reported by a few · 2 channels
The drug death rate in Scotland's most deprived areas was 15 times higher than in the least deprived areas.	Not reported by Channel 5			Not reported by ITV
Cocaine was involved in more than half of drug deaths in Scotland.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC One		Not reported by ITV
A group of potent synthetic opioids was implicated in more than one in five drug deaths in Scotland.	Not reported by Channel 5			Not reported by ITV
Only on one channel
Experts warned that the drug supply has become increasingly toxic and unpredictable.		Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by Channel 4	Not reported by ITV
Drug deaths in Scotland over the past decade exceeded 11,000.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC One	Not reported by Channel 4	Not reported by ITV
The latest annual drug death figure was lower than the 2020 peak, when more than 1,300 people died.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC One	Not reported by Channel 4	Not reported by ITV
Scotland's drugs minister said the situation was tough, the Scottish government was taking every step within its power, and more needed to be done with the UK government.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC One	Not reported by Channel 4	Not reported by ITV
Scotland's opposition parties said the Scottish government's approach to tackling drug deaths had failed badly.	Not reported by Channel 5		Not reported by Channel 4	Not reported by ITV
The Scottish Drugs Forum said tackling the public health emergency required an emergency response and called for the scale and pace of the response to be improved.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC One	Not reported by Channel 4	Not reported by ITV
Glasgow had the highest rate of drug deaths in Scotland.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by Channel 4
The rise in drug deaths came despite tens of millions of pounds of funding, a safe injection room, and more rehabilitation beds.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by Channel 4
People in recovery said it was as difficult as ever to get help, with one saying they could not access funding for residential rehabilitation despite money being set aside.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by Channel 4
The Scottish government minister responsible for drugs policy said the Scottish government had responsibility for navigating out of the challenging situation and cited a huge increase in access to residential rehabilitation.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by Channel 4	Reported by ITV
The minister said the greater challenge was an increasingly toxic drug market.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by Channel 4	Reported by ITV
Drug checking services for synthetic opioids were due to open soon but were delayed, with more people dying each week they were delayed.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by Channel 4
A new UK study showed children as young as 13 had been referred to a specialist clinic in Liverpool for bladder problems linked to ketamine use.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by Channel 4	Reported by ITV
Male drug deaths in Scotland rose 19%.	Reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by Channel 4	Not reported by ITV
Deaths involving nitazenes trebled from the previous year.	Reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by Channel 4	Not reported by ITV
Nitazenes were reported to be 100 times stronger than heroin and are mixed into other drugs.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by Channel 4	Reported by ITV
Heroin and other opioids were involved in 78% of Scotland's drug deaths.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One		Not reported by ITV
Nearly 15,000 people in Scotland have died from drug abuse since 2010.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC One	Not reported by Channel 4	Not reported by ITV
Heroin and other opioids were involved in 78% of drug deaths, cocaine in 52%, and nitazines in 22%.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One	Reported by Channel 4	Not reported by ITV

This is a cross-channel consensus summary, not an objective account. Consensus can be uniformly wrong, or omit what only one channel covered.