Action call as drug deaths hit new high

DRUG-related deaths have hit a new record high, with the number involving a powerful synthetic opioid almost quadrupling, according to official figures

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There were 5,565 deaths related to drug poisoning registered in England and Wales last year, the Office for National Statistics said.

This was a 2.1% increase on the number registered in 2023 and is the highest number since records began in 1993.

Sir Richard Branson, who is a member of the Global Commission on Drugs, said the figures were “shocking” and that a “national crisis” was being worsened by dangerous synthetic opioids such as nitazenes.