#StopTheDeaths 2024

This year Stop The Deaths focuses on treatment.  Treatment is an internationally evidenced way to protect people from overdose.

Most people who die from a drug-related death have multiple substances in their body and for the majority this includes opiates.  The World Health Organisation recommended treatment for opiate dependency is medication assisted treatment.

Scotland should have accessible and acceptable treatment services and people should have access to all the support they need to engage with and stay in treatment. Acceptable in the sense that it is appealing to people who want to receive treatment but also delivered by adequately resourced services committed to providing the highest quality standards of care and support.

The failure to fully implement the Medication Assisted Treatment Standards in Scotland has a direct result – the rate of treatment engagement is lower than elsewhere. As long as this remains the case, it will contribute to Scotland's high rates of drug-related deaths that has been relentless for many years.

The theme this year can only be ACCESSIBLE, ACCEPTABLE TREATMENT NOW!

To find out more about the MAT Standards