Two urgent drug alerts have been issued in Scotland to raise awareness of new substances.
Public Health Scotland (PHS) has published two public health alerts today in response to increased harm and changes in the drug supply.
The medetomidine alert highlights the emergence of a new sedative drug, medetomidine.
It is likely to be consumed unknowingly and has most commonly been detected in drugs sold as heroin and benzodiazepines.
Secondly, the new benzodiazepines alert highlights ongoing changes to the street benzo market.
New substances are appearing and previously detected benzodiazepines, including clonazolam, are re-emerging.
Clonazolam is linked to increased risk due to its high potency. New tablet types are also emerging, including jelly capsules.
The alerts have been issued by the multi-agency Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) system, led by PHS, to raise awareness about these new drugs.
This comes as the drug supply in all parts of Scotland continues to be highly toxic and unpredictable, with contamination increasing the risk of harm.
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Tara Shivaji, Consultant in Public Health Medicine at PHS said: "During 2025, we saw a pattern of sudden and sharp increases in drug-related harms and an unstable, rapidly evolving drug supply in Scotland.
"We advise anyone who is using street drugs, or supporting someone else who is, to assume that they are contaminated with other drugs. Having someone who can help in an emergency is an important harm reduction measure, but there’s no safe way to take these substances.
“PHS, through RADAR, identifies new and emerging drug harms. Most recently, we have developed the new Databelt system in partnership with Police Scotland, which is transforming the way suspected drug-related deaths are identified and used to support national and local responses.
"It’s imperative that our collective efforts continue as we work to reduce harm from drugs.related deaths are identified
“There are many health services that can provide support for people affected by drugs in Scotland, for more information please visit NHS inform.”
We reported last week that a warning was previously issued for new drugs on the streets as the number of deaths and people taken to hospitals remains high.
In September last year, another alert was released after the death of a man and several others taking ill in the city.
Figures released by the National Records of Scotland revealed that 185 people in the city died due to drug misuse in 2024.
This is a 24.8% drop in drug misuse deaths in Glasgow from 2023, where 246 people lost their lives.
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