Police drug trends bulletin

The purposes of the Police Scotland’s Statement of Opinion (STOP) bulletin are to raise awareness of drug trends and to demonstrate some of the substances present in Scotland's drugs market. This edition describes the diversification in the supply of cannabinoids.

Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs)

Officers from the STOP Unit West attended an address that was being used in the production of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs, also known as synthetic cannabinoids or ‘spice’), namely MDMB-4en-PINACA and ADB-INACA. This is the first known site attended by the STOP Unit in Scotland. The operation was notable for its highly sophisticated setup.

SCRAs are primarily associated with use in prisons, where they are consumed in various forms, including vapes, paper and powder. More information on drug use in prisons, can be found in the indicator: Drug seizures in Scottish prisons.

They have also been identified in community settings, appearing in products such as vapes, edibles or sprayed onto resin and plant material (commonly referred to as ‘bud’). Although less common, SCRAs have occasionally been detected in tablet form as well.

Most synthetic cannabinoids are deemed class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Newer ones are covered by the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.

Semi-synthetic cannabinoids

STOP Unit West have recently seen a recovery of a drug that appeared to be cannabis resin. Laboratory analysis revealed the presence of the SCRA, MDMB-4en-PINACA, as well as hexahydrocannabinol (HHC). While the detection of a SCRA on cannabis resin is not unusual, the presence of HHC is uncommon.

HHC is a semi-synthetic cannabinoid, a compound that is derived from naturally occurring cannabinoids but is modified to enhance or alter the effects. It is controlled by the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.

Tetrahydrocannabinol

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is a class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. It is most commonly found in herbal form as one of the main cannabinoids in cannabis. It has also been detected in vape oils and in crystal form. Below is an image of a recent recovery of THC crystals.

Image showing a glass jar labelled ‘THC.A diamonds – 28 gram’, containing crystals. Next to the jar is a clear bag containing white/yellow crystals.

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THC crystals

Cannabidiol

STOP Unit West have seen a recent increase in the recovery of cannabis extracts being recovered containing cannabidiol (CBD) only (no THC). These have taken the form of crystals, similar to but larger than the THC crystals shown above, or as yellow/brown material with similar appearance to ‘shatter’.

CBD is a cannabinoid, but it is non-intoxicating and non-euphoric, meaning it is not psychoactive and does not produce a ‘high’. Unlike other cannabinoids, it is not controlled by the Misuse of Drugs Act or Psychoactive Substances Act. It is commonly sold as a food supplement and is advertised as helping with conditions such as inflammation, pain, nausea, migraines, seizures and anxiety, although further research is needed to establish a firmer evidence base for its use as a treatment for such conditions.

RADAR intelligence and reports

97 reports were validated by RADAR between 5 October 2024 and 4 January 2025.

RADAR has received over 450 reports of drug-related information and harms. Our sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed.

These reports have been invaluable in identifying early changes to trends and supply, enabling more rapid responses to emerging threats. This has been especially important as we currently navigate significant disruptions to several key drug markets. Anyone can make a report through the reporting form and mailbox.

Summary

A summary of key trends is shown below. Intelligence reports to RADAR can be filtered by drug type and region on the dashboard (external website).

Please note, many of these reports have not been confirmed by toxicology and should be considered anecdotal.

Trends by primary drug type

Quarterly dates are shown on the chart below. In the latest period (QR10; 5 October 2024 to 4 January 2025):

• The majority of submissions report polydrug use – the use of more than one substance at a time.
• Most concerns were related to adverse effects (seizures, wounds and confusion), overdose (collapse, unconsciousness) and death.
• The most common primary drugs or drug types reported were heroin and benzodiazepines.
  • Heroin was the most commonly reported drug of concern, accounting for 19% of drugs reported. This was stable compared to the previous quarter, but reports have increased throughout the time series, from 5% in QR1.
  • Benzodiazepines (benzos) accounted for 16% of all drugs reported. Between QR1 and QR5, benzos accounted for 34% of drugs reported, before decreasing to an average of 20% between QR6 and QR8 and increasing in QR9 (26%).
  • Synthetic opioids (nitazene/fentanyl-type drugs) accounted for 13% of drugs reported, similar to the previous five quarters (average 11%). Nitazenes continue to be the most common novel synthetic opioid detected in toxicology but several submissions reported drugs sold as ‘fentanyl’.
  • Cocaine accounted for 15% of drugs reported, similar to the 18% average between QR1 and QR8 and an increase from 8% in QR9. Reports of crack cocaine were more frequent than powder cocaine for the first time.
  • The most common drugs reported in the ‘other’ category were ketamine, MDMA, pregabalin, alcohol and zopiclone.

This stacked bar chart shows the percentage of reports by drug or drug type in submissions received by RADAR. Data is shown in 10 quarters, from QR1 (July to September 2022) to QR10 (October to December 2024). Percentage is on the y axis and date (by quarter) is on the x axis. The drugs are grouped into six main categories (benzodiazepines, cocaine, heroin, nitazenes/fentanyl, cannabinoids and other). The most common drug type reported in all quarters with the exception of QR8 and QR10 was benzos. Benzo reports start relatively high at 33% in QR1, reaching a high of 42% in QR4 and then gradually decreasing to 16% in QR8, before increasing to 26% in QR9 and decreasing again in QR10 to 16%. Cocaine made up 22% of reports in QR1 and fluctuated between 20-25% up to QR4, followed by a decrease in the later quarters, reaching a low of 8% by QR9 and increasing again in QR10 to 15%. Heroin reports started low (5% in QR2) before trending upwards, with intermittent increases across the quarters, peaking at 22% in QR9 and remaining stable in QR10. Nitazenes/fentanyls reports initially appear in QR2 at 5% and then fluctuate through the quarters, reaching its highest point of 13% in both QR5 and QR10. There were a low number of cannabinoid reports in the first six quarters. Reports peaked in QR8 at 20%, followed by a drop to 2% in QR10. Reports of ‘other’ drugs fluctuated throughout the series from 20-45%.

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Reports to RADAR by primary drug(s)

WEDINOS

WEDINOS (external website) is a harm reduction project, providing an anonymous testing service, to show trends in substance use.

Between September and November 2024, 142 samples from Scotland were tested by WEDINOS. Seven samples contained no active components.

Among the 135 samples testing positive for a controlled drug:

• There were 235 detections of 135 individual substances.
• The average number of substances detected per sample was two, with the number of substances ranging from one to eight per sample.
• Over half did not test positive for the intended purchase.

The following controlled drugs were the most common:

• bromazolam: 15 (6% of detections, 11% of samples)
• diazepam: 14 (6% of detections, 10% of samples)
• cocaine: 12 (5% of detections, 9% of samples)
• 6-MAM: 11 (5% of detections, 8% of samples)
• heroin: 10 (4% of detections, 7% of samples)

Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) drug trends

SDF are funded by the Scottish Government to develop regional Living Experience Engagement Groups - safe spaces for those with living experience to express their views and share information about drug trends and harms. These groups typically meet weekly and are facilitated by staff with lived experience from the SDF Living Experience Engagement Team and local partner agencies.

Several groups are operational or in development across Scotland. Regional group members have the opportunity to contribute to a national group, which engages with strategic bodies, stakeholders and policymakers, such as the Scottish Government's National Collaborative. While the groups operate independently, they can provide valuable input to local Lived Experience Panels or Alcohol and Drug Partnership subgroups through member representation.

Each group sets its meeting agenda, ensuring a safe space to discuss their needs, opinions and the issues affecting them. An important part of this is learning and sharing information about current trends and the related risks and harms. SDF publishes regular trend bulletins based on group insights. Read the latest report at Resources - Scottish Drugs Forum (external website).

Reporting drug harms

Please encourage people and services in your area to share information on trends, incidents and harms related to drugs, such as:

• adverse effects including overdose and wounds
• routes of administration
• new substances or patterns of use
• testing data.

The information in the regional breakdown can be used by local areas for their own drug trend surveillance.

Anyone can make a report by using our reporting form (external website) or by emailing phs.drugsradar@phs.scot.

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