Drug deaths in England and Wales have reached an all-time high, driven by a worrying rise in “silver sniffers”.
In 2023, a record number of 5,448 drug poisoning deaths were recorded, a rate of 93 deaths per million people.
This is the eleventh consecutive annual increase, compared to the 4,907 recorded in 2022, and the largest since records began in 1993.
Figures show that while deaths rose among middle-aged Britons, deaths among Generation Z fell for the third year in a row.
On the drug front, cocaine killed a record number of people last year, and annual deaths due to the illicit substance increased tenfold in just a decade.
It comes amid a huge explosion in the number of Britons taking the party drug.
Experts who described the Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures as “alarming” and “shocking” and also warned that an increase in the per-gram concentration of cocaine, combined with a fall in its price, could be behind the increase in deaths.
The ONS figures cover drug abuse and dependence, fatal accidents, suicides and complications related to both illegal drugs and prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
As in previous reports, around half of the deaths recorded in 2023 will have occurred in previous years due to delays in recording deaths.
Men accounted for two-thirds of all recorded drug poisonings: 3,645 deaths compared to 1,803 female deaths.
Of the deaths recorded last year, 4,329 were due to accidental poisoning and 977 to intentional self-poisoning.
Rates were highest among people in Generation X, who were born between 1965 and 1980, and are now in their 40s and 50s.
This so-called ‘Trainspotting generation’, named after the novel-turned-film starring Ewan McGregor that highlighted drug use in Edinburgh among teenagers and young adults in the 1980s and 1990s, had the highest death rate in all groups in England and Wales in 2023. .
The average age of death from drug abuse in 2023 was 44.5 years among men and 47.5 years among women.
While the average age has remained constant among women since 1993, it has increased steadily for men since the late 1990s.
Ian Hamilton, associate professor of addiction at the University of York, told MailOnline that those over 40 often have “a range of physical and mental comorbidities” which make them “particularly vulnerable to fatal drug overdoses”.
He added: ‘These include liver disease, respiratory and heart problems.
“They are also twice as likely to smoke compared to the general population and are therefore at higher risk of all the health problems associated with tobacco use.”
Meanwhile, Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, aged 12 to 27, accounted for just one in 10 drug poisoning deaths.
This so-called ‘Trainspotting generation’, named after the novel-turned-film starring Ewan McGregor (pictured) which highlighted drug use in Edinburgh among teenagers and young adults in the 1980s and 1990s, had the highest death rate discharge of all groups in England and Wales in 2023
The 516 deaths registered in those under 30 years of age represent a drop compared to the 532 registered in 2022 and almost half the figure from the late 90s.
“We have seen that this group is much less likely to use drugs or alcohol; as far as we know, they avoid these substances because they do not want their friends or potential employers to see them intoxicated,” Professor Hamilton said.
“They have also witnessed the harm these substances have caused to people older than themselves.”
By substance, opioids continued to account for the majority of drug poisoning deaths, almost half (46.8%).
This was 13 per cent more than the previous year, the ONS said.
Heroin and morphine were also the most frequently recorded opioids on death certificates, with 1,453 deaths mentioning either substance in 2023.
Mixing opioids with other drugs, which can increase the risk of overdose, could partly explain the increase, the statisticians said.
Cocaine came in second, accounting for a fifth of all drug poisoning deaths, at 1,118.
This marks a 30 percent increase in cocaine deaths in the previous year and is 10 times the figure seen in 2011, when only 112 deaths were recorded due to the substance.
Cocaine accounted for a fifth of all drug poisoning deaths, at 1,118. This marks a 30 percent increase from the previous year. stock image
A quarter of all cocaine-related deaths occurred among people over 50, the highest proportion ever recorded. Three victims were over 70 years old.
Britain is believed to They snort around 117 tonnes of cocaine a year, according to the UK’s National Crime Agency.
Last year, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime also revealed The UK has the second highest rate of cocaine use in the world, with one in 40 adults (2.7 per cent of the population) using the drug, more than any other country in Europe.
In 2023, Britons also said the drug had become “more accessible than ever”, offering deals not only via text message or in the pub, but also on social media.
They claimed they could now pick up a bag in less than five minutes.
They say they are not only offered these deals via traditional text message or in the pub, but also on a variety of social media channels.
Professor Hamilton told MailOnline that an increase in the drug’s overall potency, combined with cheaper prices, is likely behind the “shocking” rise in cocaine deaths.
He said: ‘The 30 per cent increase in cocaine deaths is shocking and sad.
‘We have seen how the popularity of cocaine has increased in recent years, at the same time as its strength has increased and prices have fallen or at least not risen.
‘This combination of increased potency and value for money will have directly contributed to the increase in fatal overdoses.
“Although we don’t have the data, it is possible that many people have switched to injecting cocaine, which greatly increases the risk of death.”
‘Specialist drug treatment centers need major reform to help tackle the record number of drug-related deaths.
“They need specialized staff who can not only deal with drug-related problems, but also all the physical and mental problems that come with them.”
Meanwhile, Clare Taylor, chief operating officer at drug treatment provider Turning Point, also said: “The rise in deaths from cocaine use is alarming and it is vital that services provide advice and support to people.”
‘These statistics highlight, once again, the urgent need to seriously address the drug-related death crisis.
“All drug-related deaths are preventable and our thoughts are with anyone who has lost someone.”
There was also a geographical split in drug deaths in England and Wales, with people in the North East (174.3 deaths per million) three times more likely to die from drug poisoning than people in London (58.1 deaths per million). ).
London also had the lowest rate of deaths from drug abuse (41 per million).
Among recorded deaths, the North West recorded the highest number at 905 and Wales the lowest at 318.
Lee Fernandes, drug treatment expert at the UK Addiction Treatment Group, said: “A national annual increase of 11 per cent in the number of vulnerable people losing their lives to drugs is a travesty.
‘Enough is enough, as a country we must come together, step up and take real action to flatten this ever-increasing curve.
‘We urge the Government and health authorities to pull their heads out of the sand and recognize that we are now on the brink of a precipice and, especially, to recognize and act on the clear North-South divide when it comes to drug deaths. .
“People’s lives should not depend on a postcode lottery.”