deaths related to drug poisoning registered in England and Wales last year , according to the Office for National Statistics ( ONS ), just up from 2018 ’ s record figure of 4,359 ( DDN , September 2019 , page 4 ). While men once again men accounted for around two thirds of the deaths , the rate of fatalities among women has now increased for ten years in a row . More than half of all poisonings involved an opiate .

Just under 2,900 of the deaths were as a result of drug misuse , representing a slight – but ‘ not statistically significant ’ – fall from last year . As in previous years , the highest rate of drug misuse deaths was in the North East , at 95 deaths per million people , compared to 33.6 deaths per million in the East of England . Rates of drug poisoning deaths have been consistently higher in the most deprived areas , particularly among people in their forties , while deaths involving cocaine have increased for eight years in a row . Poisonings involving

cocaine have risen by more than 26 per cent for women and 7 per cent for men since last year , while poisonings involving NPS and fentanyl have remained stable .

Drug-related poisoning rates have been on a ‘ steep upward trend ’ since 2012 , says ONS , in line with trajectories in Scotland and Northern Europe . The age at which most people died from drug misuse has also continued to increase over time , with 20 to 29-year-olds having the highest rates during the first decade of figures , 30 to 39-year-olds between 2003 and 2015 , and 40 to 49-yearolds-since then . Change Grow Live chief executive Mark Moody said that a ‘ critical tipping point ’ had now been reached . ‘ The drug-related crisis has been worsening for over a decade . At the heart of the trend is a perfect storm of factors – disinvestment , an ageing population of people using drugs , and increasingly complex health needs . Adding to these challenges , the global coronavirus pandemic has , and continues to , impact vulnerable people most .’ An ‘ evidence-based system ’ was the only

way out of the crisis , he stated . It was clear that cocaine use had increased ‘ exponentially ’ in the last decade , said We Are With You deputy CEO Laura Bunt , with many people remaining unaware of the potential harms . ‘ We need much better education early on in schools and throughout the population on how to use drugs in the safest way possible and what support is out there . These figures are stark , but with some simple changes they can be brought down . The evidence is clear on what works ; hopefully there is now the will to implement it .’

‘ The reality is that local alcohol and drug services are operating under immense pressure as our funding continues to decrease ,’ added executive director at Humankind , Karen Tyrell , while the dissolution of PHE made it ‘ feel like we have now come to a critical point ’. The sector needed to focus on keeping harm reduction services open , getting naloxone to as many people as possible , and being flexible in its approach to prescribed medication , she stressed .

' We are at a critical tipping point ... An evidencebased system is the only way out of the crisis .'

MARK MOODY

Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales : 2019 registrations at https :// www . ons . gov . uk /