The deadly new drugs reshaping Scotland's fight against addiction

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Nitazenes are a class of synthetic opioids often sold as heroin

Scotland editor Published 1 hour ago Efforts to bring down Scotland's sky-high rate of drug deaths are being frustrated by the arrival of hundreds of powerful new synthetic substances that experts warn are making the deadly drugs crisis even more dangerous.

In the past three years, there has been an explosion in the supply of new synthetic cannabinoids and opioids, transforming the illicit drugs trade and increasing the risk of fatal overdoses.

Annual figures to be released on Wednesday are expected to show a rise in the number of drug-related deaths in Scotland, which already has an unenviable record as the drugs death capital of Europe.

"The illicit drug supply in Scotland is getting more and more dangerous," said Dr Lorna Nisbet of Dundee University's Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science.