Cocaine most prevalent substance in drug deaths

Growing concern There has been a rise in use of cocaine across Renfrewshire

- EDEL KENEALY

Cocaine has overtaken opioids and tranquillisers to become the most common substance in drug-related deaths in Renfrewshire.

Intelligence shared by the Renfrewshire police chiefs shows the Class-A drug is becoming an increasingly common feature in toxicology reports.

The news comes in the same week the number of suspected drug-related deaths in the Renfrewshire and Inverclyde police division was released.

The data shows that 13 people lost their lives to illicit drugs between January and March of this year.

It's a substantial drop from the reported 30 for the same period the previous year when fatalities soared over a three-month period.

The figure is, however, more in keeping with numbers for the previous six months of 2024.

The most recent data does not provide information on the substances which have contributed to those tragedies.