Efforts to tackle Scotland’s drug death crisis have been branded a failure as another record number of people dead was reported.

The official figures for 2019 showed that the number who died increased again, from last year’s record, to 1264.

In Glasgow, the number of men and women who died from a drug related death was similar to last year’s record total.

In 2019 there were 279 deaths in the city, just one fewer than in 2018.

There were 191 men and 88 women who died.

It is an average of more than five drug related deaths a week in Glasgow.

The changing pattern of drug use in the most problematic of drug users can be seen in the report.

While harm reduction efforts focus on heroin, with opioid substitute treatment, the rise of other drugs is rapidly contributing to the rising death tally.

Multiple drug use is the norm and as well as opioids like heroin and methadone, which have been a stable presence for decades there are new trends.

There was in increase in the use of benzodiazepines, particularly the illegal “so called ‘street valium’ or ‘blues’ which have been reported in deaths.

The latest figures show of Glasgow’s 279 drug deaths, street valium was present in 217 cases, an increase of 13% from the 191 the year before.

Cocaine was present in more than one in four deaths and also saw a rise of 30% from 57 in 2018 to 74 last year.

National Records for Scotland which published the figures said the country’s drug-death rate was higher than those reported for all the EU countries, and was approximately 3 and a half times that of the UK as a whole.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services said:“2019 saw the highest number of registered drug related deaths in Scotland since reporting began over 20 years ago.”

The Scottish Government said it is doing everything within its powers to tackle the situation but campaigners and support groups have said the figures show that the current policy is failing.

Annemarie Ward Chief Executive of Faces and Voices of Recovery (Favor Scotland), said: “These awful numbers confirm our worst fears that Scotland’s drug deaths crisis is only getting worse.

“This is yet another damning indictment of Scotland’s failing treatment system. The current system fixates only on increasing prescriptions as the only solution instead of providing rehabilitation and recovery programmes to help people get better.

“The detail in these statistics confirms that our drug services are not fit for purpose. Deaths from cocaine and etizolam are increasing massively but our services barely try to deal with them.

“Currently, Scotland fixates on treating heroin use, predominantly by increasing methadone prescriptions, an approach that has failed for generations.

“The obsession with drug consumption rooms (DCRs) is making it inevitable that more people in Scotland will die from addiction. DCRs are the same silver bullet trope I’ve heard for 30 years. We should be investing in services that help people get well, not only for them to use drugs safely.”

Joe FizPatrick, Public Health Minister, said: “The Scottish Government is doing everything in its powers to tackle rising drug deaths, and we are working urgently to put in place high-quality, person-centred services for those most at risk. The Drug Deaths Taskforce’s Forward Plan outlines the longer-term interventions we’re putting in place to tackle this problem.

“Significant progress has also been made in meeting the commitments set out in our alcohol and drug strategy – for example the new Residential Rehabilitation Working Group is continuing its work to ensure access to residential rehabilitation services for everyone who needs them.”

However, Ms Ward highlights the lack of funded rehab places.

She said: “From the recent residential rehab report from the Drugs Death Task Force as far as I can make out the main findings says there are around 300 beds in Scotland.”

However she said one third are for people from the Netherlands, at Castle Craig in Peebles.

Ms Ward said of the 200 odd bed places left the Alcohol and Drug Partnerships only fund one tenth of them.

She added: “So as far as we know there are around 20 funded rehab beds at any one time.”

Ms Ward said that two thirds of Scotlands drug users are not in treatment.

She said: “There is something wrong when people in crisis are not coming to services.”

David Liddell of the Scottish Drugs Forum, said: “We need to increase the range of services across Scotland to include drug consumption rooms, heroin-assisted treatment and assertive outreach.”

Opposition parties said the government has failed and funding cuts have contributed to the rising death toll.

Monica Lennon, Labour health spokeswoman, said: “Every drug-related death is an avoidable tragedy, and the scale of the crisis in Scotland demands a radical rethink from all political leaders.

“Scotland’s drug death rate is one of the worst in the world. We can’t sweep this public health and human rights emergency under the carpet a moment longer.

“Safe consumption facilities and increased rapid access to residential rehabilitation are vital and could happen today.

Patrick Harvie, Green MSP for Glasgow, said: “Scotland’s current approach to drug deaths has demonstrably failed. It fails families every day and if that approach isn’t changed it will continue to fail, with tragic consequences. Carrying on as we are now is intolerable.”

Donald Cameron, Conservative Health Spokesman said: “It is appalling that drug deaths have doubled in a decade, and there’s no doubt that this government’s cuts to drug rehab and addiction programmes have a large part to play in this awful trend.”

The 2019 figures were due to be published in July this year but a dispute over laboratory services, led to a backlog and the report being delayed.