Drug-related deaths in England and Wales have reached a record high of 5,565 registered fatalities in 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This represents a 2.1% increase from 2023 and marks the highest number since records began in 1993.
The surge has been driven partly by a dramatic rise in deaths involving nitazenes, powerful synthetic opioids that can be 100 times more potent than heroin. A total of 195 deaths registered last year involved these substances, almost quadrupling from the 52 deaths recorded in 2023.
Cocaine deaths surge alongside opioid crisis
Deaths linked to cocaine increased by 14.4% to reach 1,279 registered fatalities in 2024. More than three-quarters of these cocaine-related deaths involved males, with 982 male deaths compared to 297 female deaths.
Heroin and morphine remained the most frequently mentioned substances in death registrations, with 1,415 fatalities mentioning either substance. The ONS noted these drugs are often indistinguishable in toxicology testing.
Regional disparities highlight inequality
The north-east of England continued to record the highest death rates, with 167.6 deaths per million people for drug poisoning and 107.1 per million for drug misuse. In contrast, the East of England had the lowest rates at 66.3 deaths per million for drug poisoning and 40.2 per million for drug misuse.
England registered 5,129 drug poisoning deaths compared to 5,053 in 2023, while Wales saw an increase from 377 to 417 deaths.
Experts call for better overdose prevention
David Mais from the ONS said: "We are seeing a small but continued increase in the rate of deaths relating to drug poisoning, with opioids and opiates, such as heroin and morphine, the drugs most commonly mentioned on death registrations. However, in a fifth of cases, no information is provided about the specific drug or drugs involved. The more information coroners can provide on registrations, the more detailed our analysis can be of the substances most associated with drug poisoning deaths."
Clare Taylor, chief operating officer of the Turning Point charity, called for increased access to life-saving medication. "Synthetic opioids continue to flow into the market," Taylor said. "Lab-produced opioids pose a significant risk to life due to their potency and this is reflected in the fact that deaths related to nitazenes have increased four-fold compared to the previous year. We would like to see continuing efforts to increase availability of naloxone, a life-saving medication which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. If Government is serious about tackling regional health inequalities, then proper investment in drug and alcohol treatment is needed."
Sources used: "Office for National Statistics", "Turning Point" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
