DRUG POISONING DEATHS SOAR TO RECORD LEVELS

RECORD numbers of people died after taking drugs last year, with the number of deaths involving synthetic opioids almost quadrupling - see how it compares where you live.

- By RICHARD AULT

New Government figures show that 5,565 deaths registered in England and Wales in 2024 were related to drug poisoning. That was a 2% increase on 2023, and the highest drug death toll since records began in 1993.

Just under half of drug-poisoning deaths registered last year involved an opiate or an opioid (47%, or 2,621 deaths).

Heroine and morphine, often indistinguishable in toxicology testing, were the most frequently mentioned opiates and opioids in death registrations (1,415 deaths).

But there were also 195 deaths which involved nitazenes, a category of new synthetic opioids. That was a near fourfold increase from the 52 deaths registered in 2023. These substances can be 100 times more potent than heroin and bring a high risk of overdose.

Deaths linked to cocaine were also 14% higher than in 2023, with 1,279 registered last year.

Last year, there was a North-South divide in England, with drug poisoning deaths far more likely in the North.

Of English regions, the mortality rate was highest in the North East with 15.8 deaths per 100,000 of the population, followed by the North West (12.5), and Yorkshire and the Humber (11.6).

Meanwhile, the lowest mortality rates were in London (6.4 deaths per 100,000 people), the East of England (6.7), and the South East (6.9).

The average mortality rate for drug poisoning deaths was higher in Wales (12.6) than in England (8.8).