Last year England and Wales saw a shocking 30% increase in fatalities linked to cocaine use, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The total number of drug-related deaths hit a record high in 2023.
In 2023 there were 1,118 registered deaths involving cocaine, accounting for a fifth of all drug-poisoning fatalities. This figure is a staggering 30.5% higher than the previous year’s 857 deaths and nearly tenfold the 112 deaths recorded in 2011.
One charity has labelled this rise as “alarming”, emphasising the need for services to offer advice and support. Over the past decade, cocaine has consistently been the second most popular drug, after cannabis, in England and Wales, the ONS reported.
Men accounted for almost eight out of 10 (79.2%) of the cocaine-related deaths registered last year with 886 male deaths compared to 232 female deaths. Across both nations, 5,448 drug poisoning-related deaths were registered in 2023, equating to 93.0 deaths per million people – the highest since records began in 1993, according to the ONS.
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Almost half of these deaths (46.8%) involved an opiate such as heroin or morphine, totalling 2,551 drug-poisoning deaths. This was a 12.8% increase on the previous year, the ONS added, reports MyLondon.
Heroin and morphine, as the ONS stated, are frequently mixed up in toxicology testing and come up tops as the killer opiates with 1,453 drug-poisoning deaths in 2023 mentioning the substances. Northeastern parts keep their grim title for the highest drug death rates with a staggering 174.3 deaths per million people.
In London there were 58.1 deaths per million people, while Wales saw 377 deaths in 2023 from 318 in the year before.
Greg Ceely, head of health stats at the ONS, revealed: “The number of drug poisoning deaths registered in England and Wales in 2023 increased by 11% compared to 2022 and is the highest since our records began in 1993. This continues a trend of drug deaths increasing each year since 2012.
“Around half of the deaths involve an opiate, such as heroin or morphine. We saw a large rise in the number of cocaine deaths, which account for a fifth of all deaths related to drug poisoning in 2023. Men born in the 1970s, often referred to as ‘Generation X’, continue to see the highest rate of drug related deaths.”
Clare Taylor, chief operating officer at drug treatment provider Turning Point, has sounded the alarm on the escalating drug-related deaths crisis, stating: “These statistics the highest number since records began highlight, yet again, the urgent need to seriously address the drug related deaths crisis. All drug related deaths are preventable, and our thoughts are with anyone who has lost someone.”
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She warned synthetic opioids, which are hundreds of times stronger than heroin, are “increasingly being detected in the drug supply which is particularly concerning and putting many more people at risk of accidental overdose”.
According to ONS data, there’s been a worrying increase in deaths involving nitazenes synthetic opioids with 52 registered in 2023, up from 38 the previous year. Taylor is calling for improved access to services where drugs can be tested for purity and contaminants, as well as wider availability of Naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal medication.
She also expressed concern over the surge in cocaine-related fatalities, saying: “The increased deaths from cocaine use (nearly 10 times higher than in 2011) is alarming and its vital that services provide advice and support for individuals.”
The ONS has noted that due to registration delays, more than half of the deaths reported in their latest 2023 data occurred in earlier years.
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