KILLER COCAINE

DEATHS FROM THE DRUG HAVE SOARED IN RECENT YEARS

THere’ s been a surge in cocaine related deaths, with the number more than doubling in the last four years. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the number of deaths from all drugs has hit a record high.

That increase has been fuelled by a spike in deaths from cocaine, with the party drug now accounting for one in every eight drug deaths.

In 2017, a total of 3,756 people across England and Wales died after taking drugs - 432 of them after taking cocaine specifically.

That number is up from 371 in 2016, and is nearly three times as high as the 169 cocaine deaths recorded in 2013.

It’s by far the highest number of cocaine-related deaths seen since at least 1993, when modern records begin. That year, just 11 people were killed by the drug.

At the same time, deaths from heroin and morphine have dropped in the last year.

Some 1,164 people died after taking opiates - down from 1,209 in 2016.

Heroin and morphine remained the deadliest drugs in England and Wales, however, followed by antidepressants (484 deaths) and then cocaine (432).

In comparison, 56 people died after taking ecstasy last year, while just 29 died after smoking or ingesting cannabis.

Meanwhile, new psychoactive substances such as Spice - previously known as “legal highs” - accounted for 61 deaths last year, which was a drop from 123 deaths in 2016.

As well as accidental and deliberate overdoses, drug-related deaths can include deaths from mental and behavioural disorders caused by drug use.

Accidental overdoses have soared over the years, accounting for 2,794 of the drug deaths seen last year - the highest figure on record.

That’s up only slightly from 2,784 accidental overdoses in 2016, but is nearly five times as many as the 585 deaths of this type seen in 1993.

At the same time, there were 839 intentional self-poisonings last year - also up from 798 in 2016, but nowhere near the peak of 1,432 such deaths seen in 1998.

The 118 deaths from mental and behavioural disorders due to drug use in 2017 was down from 158 the year before, and again was much lower than the peak seen in 2001 of 895 deaths.

Karen Tyrell of drug, alcohol and mental health charity Addaction said: “These statistics make tough reading for those of us working in drug and alcohol services.

“Deaths related to cocaine use alone have increased for the sixth successive year.

“This is a diverse group of people though, and no single solution will work for everyone.

“We need to do a much better job of providing safe and non-judgemental advice.

“The reality is that there aren’t enough trustworthy places to get support around drugs and alcohol. A key way to make this happen is by modernising how we reach people.

“We have a lot more to do to provide safe and accessible places in communities and online for advice and support.

“We’d also like to see the testing of drugs in towns and cities all over the UK, to ensure people know what they’re taking.

“We could really start to make a difference to these numbers in years to come if drug and alcohol dependence is treated as a health issue rather than a criminal justice one.

“Too many people are tangled up in the criminal justice system and trapped in its revolving doors; this has got to change.”