Deaths from drug use rise to record levels
THERE were 20 drug-related deaths in Halton during 2013-15, as heroin and cocaine fatalities reached record levels in England.
According to figures published by the Office For National Statistics (ONS), the borough’s drug death rate was the highest in Cheshire, with 5.6 fatalities per 100,000 residents per year.
Halton’s figure was greater than the English average of 3.9 but the same as the average for the North West.
The statistics revealed that 13 of the victims were male and seven female.
The naiton’s worst-affected area was Blackpool, which reported a rate of 19 deaths per 100,000 residents per year.
The ONS revealed a number of other major national findings in the study.
It said that the drug misuse death rate was the highest ever recorded, at 43.8 deaths per million population.
Males were nearly three times more likely to die from drug misuse than females.
Deaths involving heroin or morphine doubled in the past three years to 1,201 in 2015 and are now the highest on record.
Fatalities including cocaine reached an all-time high in 2015 with 320 users dying, up from 247 in 2014.
The age range most affected was 30-39 years, followed by 40-49.
Although not the region with the highest rate, the North West was the second worst affected part of England and Wales behind the North East.
Vanessa Fearn, an ONS researcher, said: “Deaths involving heroin and morphine have more than doubled since 2012, partly driven by a rise in heroin purity and availability over the last three years.
“Age is also a factor in the record levels of drug deaths, as heroin users are getting older and they often have other conditions, such as lung disease and hepatitis, that make them particularly vulnerable.”