It is distressing to read that three young people have died in three days from drugs-related incidents in Inverness.
It is natural to wonder if these deaths are linked in some way, even although police sources indicate there is no obvious connection.
The Highland capital has grown fast in recent years and taken on a more cosmopolitan outlook. That has been fantastic for the city’s profile around the world.
But it comes at a price, as rapid population growth and economic expansion does not end happily for everyone – they can also generate bigger social challenges which lurk below the surface in any successful city. Much crime, for example, can be traced directly to drugs trading.
Three people aged between 17 and 33 are now dead in Inverness.
Their tragic stories show how the war on drugs must go on relentlessly as those who deal in misery show no sign of going away.
It does not seem to matter how many die or how many warnings are issued, there remain people out there, from from both well-off and poor families, who are vulnerable to drugs.
Disrupting those who trade in drugs remains a top priority. To that end, the police need all the help they can get with information from the public about any suspicious activity which could be linked to the drugs trade.