Drug deaths in England and Wales rise to highest number on record

The number of drug related deaths in England and Wales has risen for the 11th year in a row, official statistics show.1Data published by the Office for National Statistics show that 4907 deaths related to drug poisoning (equivalent to 84.4 deaths per million people) were registered in England and Wales in 2022. This was a slight increase from the 4859 deaths (84 per million) registered in 2021 and is the highest since records began in 1993.Of these deaths 3127 (53.9 per million) involved “drug misuse” (relating to drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971).The ONS said that the incidence of drug poisoning deaths in 2022 was 82% higher than in 2012 (46.5 per million). The incidence has risen every year since 2012, after remaining relatively stable over the preceding two decades.Niamh Eastwood, executive director of the drugs charity Release, said the continuing rise in the number of deaths…
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