The church and charity said it acknowledges an annual decrease of 13% (155 fewer deaths), but is still concerned about the number of needless deaths that continue to devastate families and communities.

The Salvation Army is calling for more to be done to increase accessibility to treatment for some of the hardest to reach populations, as its figures show 75% of its clients with substance use issues were not in treatment when they arrived during 2024 and 2025.

Since 2020/21, The Salvation Army has achieved a 43% reduction in overdose deaths across its services in Scotland. This success is rooted in trusted relationships between staff and people who use services, access to harm reduction such as life-saving naloxone, clean injecting equipment along with an approach that does not judge people.

The Salvation Army policy report titled Breaking The Cycle highlights the barriers facing people trying to access support for their substance use in Scotland. Two key issues are the lack of support at weekends or evenings along with problems getting help when people are dealing with both addiction and mental health issues. 

Lee Ball, director of addiction at The Salvation Army, said: “These statistics are an annual painful reminder of the scale of the challenge we still face in Scotland. Better access to support for substance use outside normal working hours is essential to save lives. We must also ensure that no one is turned away from addiction support due to mental health issues or is denied access to vital mental health services because of drug and alcohol use.

“Approximately 75% of our clients with substance use issues were not in treatment when they arrived with us in 2024/25. This highlights a fundamental issue that the current system is not accessible to a high proportion of those who need it most.”

During a visit to The Scheme Livi recovery project, which offers a variety of creative workshops to support people dealing with substance use, drugs and alcohol policy minister Maree Todd said: “My heartfelt condolences go to all those affected by the loss of a loved one through drugs.

“It is welcome that we have seen progress with the number of deaths at the lowest level since 2017, but I know there is still work to be done and we will continue to do everything we can to save and improve lives.

“This is particularly true as we face new threats from highly dangerous synthetic opioids like nitazenes, which further raise the risk of overdose and death.

“That is why we are providing record levels of funding for drugs and alcohol programmes and widening access to treatment, residential rehabilitation and life-saving naloxone. We have also supported and funded the opening of the UK’s first Safer Drug Consumption Facility and are working at pace to deliver drug-checking facilities.”