What proportion of deaths in the Lothians region were attributable to (a) alcohol and (b) other substance misuse in the last 12 months, bro…

Statistics for alcohol-related deaths for each local authority area are published each year by the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS). The figures and their definition can be found on the GROS website:
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/deaths/alcohol-related-deaths/index.html.
There is no standard definition of other substance misuse deaths. Statistics for drug-related deaths for each local authority area are published each year by GROS:
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/drug-related-deaths/index.html.
The total number of deaths in each local authority area is published in Table 2 of Appendix 1 of Scotland''s Population: the Registrar General''s Annual Review of Demographic Trends:
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/annual-report-publications/index.html.
Because the figures required to calculate the requested percentages are taken from three separate publicly-available sources, the answer brings them together in the following table.
Lothian Deaths Registered in Scotland in 2008

| Lothian
| Edinburgh
| East Lothian
| Midlothian
| West Lothian

Total deaths
| 7,547
| 4,291
| 1,014
| 793
| 1,449

Alcohol-related deaths
| 171
| 102
| 18
| 14
| 37

Percentage of all deaths
| 2.30%
| 2.40%
| 1.80%
| 1.80%
| 2.60%

Drug-related deaths
| 94
| 66
| 7
| 6
| 15

Percentage of all deaths
| 1.20%
| 1.50%
| 0.70%
| 0.80%