World News for Students of English

01-10-2026 07:00

Scotland faces a severe national crisis. It recorded over 11,000 drug-related deaths in the past decade, which made it the drug death capital of Europe.

In 2025 alone, 1,133 people died, driven by an increasingly dangerous supply of synthetic opioids like nitazenes.

The origins of this crisis trace back to 20th-century industrial decline, poverty, and intergenerational trauma. Additionally, political decisions worsened the situation, including controversial 2015 funding cuts to treatment services by the Scottish government, for which officials have since apologized. To combat the epidemic, Scotland is expanding its national drug testing facilities to identify rapid market changes and provide scientific evidence for public health policies.

Police continue seizing tens of millions of kilograms worth of illicit substances, while politicians advocate for harm-reduction measures, including safer consumption rooms and expanded rehabilitation spaces. Some facilities offer critical recovery programs, which give long-term users a safe environment to overcome addiction and rebuild their lives.

Difficult words: intergenerational trauma (psychological pain or emotional stress passed down from parents or grandparents to their children and future generations), seize (to officially take control of illegal items or property using legal authority), illicit (forbidden by law, rules, or custom).

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