Drug-Induced Deaths in Türkiye, 2010–2024: Trends, Demographic and Substance Characteristics, and Comparison with Europe

Background/Objectives: Türkiye is the most populous country reporting to the European drug monitoring system, yet its drug-induced deaths have rarely been studied in the international literature. We describe drug-induced mortality in Türkiye over fifteen years and compare its level and composition with those of European countries. Methods: We assembled all of the published data of the Council of Forensic Medicine, the national reference institution, on direct drug-induced deaths for 2010–2024, drawing on the national reports and European reporting channels, which proved to carry identical counts. Temporal trends were analysed using segmented Poisson regression. Rates were compared with a fixed panel of ten European Union (EU) countries with direct sex- and age-standardisation. Results: A total of 6129 deaths were recorded. Annual deaths rose seven-fold to 941 in 2017, fell by almost two thirds within two years, reached 246 in 2022 and rose again to 427 in 2024. The net rise in 2024 was confined to deaths recorded as involving synthetic cannabinoids. The wave was concentrated among men aged 15–44. At its height, mortality among young men exceeded the European panel by 1.6 to 2.8 times, while the all-ages rate remained below the European level. Women comprised 5.0% of decedents. Opioid involvement fell from 76.5% to 15.5%. Among single-substance deaths, the leading substance changed three times, from heroin to synthetic cannabinoids, MDMA, methamphetamine and back to synthetic cannabinoids. Conclusions: Responses built around opioids reach a minority of deaths. Türkiye needs monitoring that distinguishes changes in mortality from changes in substance attribution, and prevention directed at synthetic cannabinoids, stimulants and young men.