Murdo has described the latest drug death figures for Scotland as 'heartbreaking.'
He was reacting to the data released by the National Records of Scotland (NRS), which shows that 1,172 people died in 2023 - up 121 on the previous 12 months, representing a 12% increase.
This data also confirmed that Scotland still has the highest drug death rate in Europe.
Commenting, Murdo said: "The 1,172 reported deaths due to drug misuse in the past year is not just a shameful increase on what was already the highest in Europe, it is more importantly a heartbreaking laying bare of the inability of the current Scottish Government to help those in need in our country.
"Today's statistics show one thing very clearly: the shocking failure of the Scottish Government to deliver help where it is needed has led, yet again, to more tragic and unnecessary deaths."
Murdo continued: "If I am elected leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, tackling this scourge will be a priority. When these statistics are published we all feel saddened by such loss of life, worried and angry at how far reaching it is, and embarrassed at how we compare to the rest of the UK and Europe. But too quickly those in power forget and move on.
"I would maintain the focus on fighting drug misuse as long as it takes to radically reduce this unnecessary tragedy. With a renewed focus on the Right to Recovery Bill, we will establish a legal right to treatment for anyone suffering from drug addiction, therefore giving them the help they want and need, rather than pushing them away and seeing this number heartbreakingly and inevitably rise yet again."
