A new report reveals a shocking number of babies born addicted to drugs in Scotland, highlighting the severe impact of the country's drug crisis.
Shocking new figures reveal over 1,500 babies born in Scotland were addicted to drugs. Symptoms in these infants include uncontrollable trembling, hyperactivity, blotchy skin, and high-pitched crying. Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie stated, “These heartbreaking figures lay bare the damage being done by Scotland ’s drug crisis. It is a scandal that so many newborn babies are being affected by this public health emergency before they are even born.
' Scotland possesses the highest drug death rate in Europe, and the Record has campaigned for change, advocating for investments in drug user services and the decriminalization of illegal substances for personal use. However, John Swinney’s SNP Government has faced criticism for implementing a real-terms reduction to alcohol and drug harm prevention funding in the draft Budget. Compiled statistics by the Scottish Liberal Democrats illustrate the extent of the country's challenges in ending the suffering experienced by families, with at least 1,501 babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) since 2017. NAS is characterized by signs of addiction due to a mother's consumption of legal or illegal drugs during pregnancy. Health boards reporting the highest cases include NHS Lothian with 774, NHS Grampian with 209, and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde with 221. NHS Ayrshire and Arran recorded 47 cases, while the figures for boards in Forth Valley and the Borders were 44 and 26 respectively. More people die from substance abuse per capita in Scotland than anywhere else in Europe. Last year, 1,172 Scots died from drugs – an increase of 121 from the previous twelve months. There were only 244 deaths in 1996 when comparable records began. The drug death rate in Scotland is 2.7 times higher than the rate for England and Northern Ireland, and 2.1 times higher than the rate in Wales. Opiates and opioids like heroin were linked to approximately 80% of the total number of deaths
Scotland Drugs Addiction Babies Health Crisis
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