Drug poisoning deaths at record high with almost half involving an opiate

Deaths registered from drug poisoning in England and Wales are at the highest level since records began 30 years ago.

Opiates were involved in just under half of such deaths, with heroin and morphine remaining the most frequently mentioned in registrations, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Deaths involving cocaine rose by 2.0% and are now more than seven times higher than in 2011.

There were a total of 4,907 deaths related to drug poisoning registered in 2022 in England and Wales, the ONS said.

This is equivalent to a rate of 84.4 deaths per million people – slightly higher but similar to the rate recorded in 2021, which was 84.0 deaths per million people.

The ONS said there has been a rise in the number of drugs typically recorded on the death certificate, now averaging two drugs mentioned per death.

The average number of drugs mentioned has been gradually increasing since 2010, with the likes of benzodiazepines (a type of sedative) and gabapentinoids (sometimes used for pain management) more often now seen in use alongside heroin and other opiates.

Some 46.1%, equivalent to 2,261 deaths registered last year, involved an opiate, while 857 deaths involved cocaine.

There were 114.3 drug-poisoning deaths registered per million in 2022 (3,240 deaths) among males, compared with 55.8 deaths per million among females (1,667 deaths), the ONS said.

Some 3,127 drug poisoning deaths were identified as drug misuse, accounting for 53.9 deaths per million people.

Drug misuse deaths involve those where the underlying cause is drug abuse or drug dependence, or where any of the substances involved are controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

The ONS noted that as information on specific drugs involved in a death is not always available, these figures are underestimates.

Drug misuse deaths continued to be higher among Gen X – those born in the 1970s, with the highest rate in those aged 40 to 49 years.

The North East continued to have the highest rates of deaths relating to drug poisoning (133.9 deaths per million people) and drug misuse (81.7 per million), while London had the lowest rate for drug poisonings (56.6 deaths per million people), and the East of England had the lowest rate for drug misuse (37.2 per million).

Vahe Nafilyan, from the ONS, said: “The number of drug poisoning deaths registered continues to increase and is now the highest since records began in 1993.

“Around half of deaths involve an opiate, such as heroin or morphine, while the number of cocaine deaths have risen for the eleventh consecutive year.

“Deaths continue to be highest among men, especially those born in the 1970s, often referred to as Generation X.”

Lee Fernandes, from the UK Addiction Treatment Group, said the report showed that people who have been addicted to drugs for many years “are now also experimenting with taking other substances” which can make a user “increasingly susceptible to a fatal overdose”.

He said such deaths are “unnecessary” and could be prevented “with the right kind of help, empathy and professional support”.

Clare Taylor, from health and social care provider Turning Point, said: “The continued high level of drug related deaths is a tragedy and our thoughts are with anyone who has lost someone this way.”

“Drug-related deaths are preventable, and the right treatment and support for anyone at risk, in any community, remains the key protective factor.”

The UK’s first drug consumption room could be open by next summer, after plans for such a facility were approved by NHS and council officials in Glasgow in September.

The UK Government has said it is not in favour of drug consumption rooms, but despite the Misuse of Drugs Act being reserved to Westminster, the Home Office has indicated it will not stand in the way of the pilot scheme in Scotland.

Separate figures also published on Tuesday by the ONS showed there were 5,642 suicides registered in England and Wales in 2022, a slight rise on 2021 when 5,583 deaths were registered.

The 2022 rate of 10.7 deaths per 100,000 people, however, was unchanged on the previous year.

Nearly three quarters of suicides registered last year were males (4,179 deaths or 74.1%). That is equivalent to 16.4 deaths per 100,000, while for females the rate was 5.4 deaths per 100,000.

The ONS said there remain delays to registrations of deaths by suicide, particularly in Wales, which it said is caused by disruption to coroner services during the pandemic.

For mental health support, call the Samaritans on 116 123, email them at [email protected] or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.

Copyright (c) PA Media Ltd. 2023, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Freepik.