NHS shelled out more than £70million on paracetamol
one in ten people used drugs in the past year.
One in 18 people in the North East said they had taken cannabis in the past 12 months. One in 43 had taken cocaine.
The survey included people aged between 16 and 59.
And the most recent official figures show there were 473 deaths in the North East related to drugs misuse between 2013 and 2015.
That includes 93 in County Durham, the local authority with the highest number of deaths.
There were 63 deaths in Newcastle, 47 in Sunderland, 39 in Middlesbrough, 39 in Northumberland, 37 in Gateshead and 36 in Stockton.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: “Since becoming Home Secretary I have seen first-hand how drugs can destroy lives. I am determined to confront the scale of this issue and prevent drug misuse devastating our families and communities.
“This Government has driven a tough law enforcement response in the UK and at our borders, but this must go hand in hand with prevention and recovery. This new strategy brings together police, health, community and global partners to clamp down on the illicit drug trade, safeguard the most vulnerable, and help those affected to turn their lives around.
“We must follow through with our commitment to work together towards a common goal: a society free from the harms caused by drugs.” THE NHS spent more than £70m giving paracetamol to patients in England last year – despite it being available over the counter for as little as 19p.
Family doctors issued more than 2,174,000 prescriptions for the painkillers at a cost of £3.23 per item, which are sold for a fraction of the cost in supermarkets.
The 2016/17 figure of £70.18m was revealed in response to a written parliamentary question tabled by Easington MP, Grahame Morris.
It shows the bill has fallen from £84.86m in 2015/16 and £86.88m the year before.
The total bill for the five-year period is close to £400m (£398,875,111), according to reimbursement price data provided by Health Minister Steve Brine.
It comes after NHS England announced plans to develop new national guidelines cracking down on prescriptions for medicines available in supermarkets and chemists such as gluten-free foods and travel vaccines.
Labour MP Mr Morris said it was “irrational” to provide paracetamol on prescription if the cost is 10 times higher than a GP supplying it directly.
He said: “I believe all drugs patients require should be available on the NHS.
“At a time when the Government is placing extreme funding pressure on our health service, we should seek avenues to make savings where they will not impact patient services.
“It seems irrational to provide paracetamol on prescription if the cost is 10 times higher than it would be for a GP to simply supply such items directly to patients, as they can often be purchased for pennies on the high street.
“There will be a number of low-cost readily available drugs which could be supplied in such a manner.
“However, I am very cautious. I am simply asking questions in the hope others can suggest suitable methods as there are often unforeseen consequences to what seems to be relatively simple issues to resolve.
“We must maintain the provision of basic drugs on the NHS but find more efficient ways to provide them to patients.”
Mr Brine, when outlining the figures issued to Mr Morris, said: “The cost reported is at reimbursement prices.
“This does not take account of the margin that pharmacies earn on the medicines they dispense.”