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The number of deaths due to drug overdose has reached a 32-year high, including a four-fold increase in deaths due to drug abuse. Synthetic drugs up to 100 times more powerful Even more than heroin.
Official figures show that 5565 people died drug poisoning in England and Wales in 2024, the highest since records began in 1993.
This includes 195 people who died after taking a deadly new synthetic opioid called Nitazane, which is feared British drug market floodedThis is up from only 52 deaths linked to the substance in 2023.
Drug experts have termed the figures a “national scandal” and have called for immediate government action bring down deaths,
Mike Trace, CEO of Forward Trust and former government drug kingpin, told Independent: “These figures of drug-related deaths each year should be a national scandal.”
He said the number of deaths from road traffic accidents has almost quadrupled, yet successive administrations have shown “inertia” on harm reduction reforms.
He said the Scottish Government has undertaken a mission to reduce these death rates, but Westminster has remained relatively silent on the issue.
“The government needs to take these figures more seriously and take action to reduce deaths,” he said, adding that leaders are often “squeezing” about adopting policies to help active drug users get advice and support to prevent overdoses.
While historically drug-related deaths involved heroin overdoses, they now involve a greater mix of drugs.
They fear that the number of deaths linked to new synthetic substances like Nitazane may be the tip of the iceberg due to delays in testing and the number of tests being captured.
“The nature of these new synthetic substances is that there are many more ways to bring them into the country and even produce them within the country,” he said.
“The biggest risk is that they have too much capacity. It’s that capacity that is the main driver of mortality.”
The Office for National Statistics, which published the figures, warned that some data is incomplete because in about a fifth of cases, no information about the specific drug or drugs involved was given on the death registration form.
It said that because of the delay, about half of the deaths recorded in 2024 would have occurred in previous years.
People aged 40 to 49 were most at risk, with the average age of drug-related death being 45.5 years for men and 48.5 years for women.
Heroin and other opiates or opioids were a factor in the most deaths, linked to 2621 deaths in 2024, a 2.7 percent increase from the previous year.
Deaths linked to cocaine, Britain’s second most used drug, were also up 14.4 per cent on the previous year, with 1,279 recorded in 2024.
Sir Richard Branson, who is a member of the Global Commission on Drugs, said the figures showed “the national crisis has been worsened by dangerous synthetic opioids like nitazane”.
“Not every drug-related death can be prevented, but the vast majority can be prevented,” the Virgin boss said. “Yet the UK government is ignoring the evidence.”
He called for a “radical change” to focus on harm reduction measures such as drug testing services and medically supervised drug consumption rooms. Only one such facility – called The Thistle in Glasgow – exists in the UK.
The Turning Point charity, which helps people with substance abuse problems, called for increased availability of the drug in case of opioid overdose.
Chief Operating Officer Claire Taylor said: “Synthetic opioids continue to enter the market.
“Laboratory-produced opioids pose a significant threat to life because of their potency and this is reflected in the fact that deaths There has been a four-fold increase in Nitzen related volumes compared to last year.
“We would like to see continued efforts to increase the availability of naloxone, a life-saving medication that can reverse the effects of opioid overdose.”
The government has been contacted for comment.