More than 1,500 babies in Scotland born dependent on drugs since 2017

More than 1,500 babies have been born dependent on drugs in Scotland since 2017, figures obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats show.

Freedom of information data revealed at least 1,501 children were born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) between April 2017 and October 2024.

NAS results in a number of symptoms in a newborn baby that is withdrawing from addictive substances taken by the mother during pregnancy.

Symptoms can start within a few days of birth and include uncontrollable trembling, sickness, poor weight gain and a continuous high-pitched cry.

Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said the figures showed the importance of investing in local drug services.

He said: “There is perhaps no worse start in life for a newborn baby than to be born dependent on drugs.

“The Scottish Government regularly make the headlines for their mishandling of drug deaths but in a host of other ways drug misuse can make lives a misery.

“Nicola Sturgeon cut the budget for drug and alcohol services and predictably this meant some services closing their doors and valuable expertise being lost. The current budget proposed by John Swinney risks making the same mistake again.

“I don’t want to see future generations still struggling with drug misuse.”

Health secretary Neil Gray said: “No newborn baby should be born dependent on substances and mothers should be able to get the help they need, free from judgement and stigma.

“Through our £250 million national mission on drugs, we are taking a wide range of evidence-based measures to reduce harm and save lives.

“We want every person experiencing harm from alcohol or drug use to be able to access the support they need and record levels of funding have been protected in next year’s budget.

“We’ve maintained £112 million to local alcohol and drug partnerships for treatment and support services and will continue to invest in residential rehabilitation.”