Deaths from cocaine have soared in the past decade, rising to 840 last year, more than seven times the 112 deaths recorded a decade ago

Drug-related deaths in England and Wales have reached a record high, driven partly by a spike in cocaine use, figures show. 

Data from the Office for National Statistics show there were 4,859 deaths related to drug poisoning registered in 2021 – a rate of 84.4 deaths per million people.

This is the ninth consecutive annual rise, up 6.2 per cent from the previous year, and the highest number since records began more than a quarter of a century ago in 1993.

Experts said the overall rising trend over the past decade has been driven primarily by deaths involving opiates but fatalities involving other substances such as cocaine and ‘street Valium’ had also seen ‘significant’ rises over the last 12 months. 

Deaths from cocaine soared to 840 last year, an 8.1 per cent rise on 2020’s figure and a seven-fold increase from the 112 recorded a decade ago. Men accounted for three quarters of these deaths.

ONS statisticians claimed cocaine’s rising death toll is likely a direct consequence of its rising use, fuelled by what clinics say is increasing popularity of the drug among the middle classes. Meanwhile, the purity of the drug has increased whilst the price has dropped. 

Experts say combining high purity and cheap cocaine with users emerging from lockdown with a lower tolerance following months of abstinence, and then overdosing, could be to blame for 2021’s death spike. 

Others experts said rising cocaine use could also be blamed on a rise in working from home, giving people who ‘care more about where their coffee comes from than where their cocaine does’ more opportunities to use drugs during the day.

Some users have said they’re able to get the drug delivered to them within 30 minutes, less time than it takes to order a pizza.

Britons snort about 117 tonnes of cocaine per year, with the market for the illegal drug estimated to be worth more than £25.7million a day.

Deaths from cocaine have soared in the past decade, rising to 840 last year, more than seven times the 112 deaths recorded a decade ago

Deaths from cocaine have soared in the past decade, rising to 840 last year, more than seven times the 112 deaths recorded a decade ago

This map shows the deaths rates from drug misuse in each region of England and Wales in 2021. The North East recorded the highest death rate (104.1 deaths per million people)

This map shows the deaths rates from drug misuse in each region of England and Wales in 2021. The North East recorded the highest death rate (104.1 deaths per million people) 

Deaths from designer drugs like flubromazolam and etizolam, a class of drug related to Valium, but up to 40 times stronger, have risen sharply in the past few years to 155 in 2021 compared to just 22 in 2019

Deaths from designer drugs like flubromazolam and etizolam, a class of drug related to Valium, but up to 40 times stronger, have risen sharply in the past few years to 155 in 2021 compared to just 22 in 2019

This chart shows the number of drug deaths recorded in England and Wales in 2021 broken down by substance type. Opiates like heroin and morphine still kill the most people but deaths drugs like cocaine have seen significant growth

This chart shows the number of drug deaths recorded in England and Wales in 2021 broken down by substance type. Opiates like heroin and morphine still kill the most people but deaths drugs like cocaine have seen significant growth

‘Devoted’ father-of-two, 25, died in his sleep just hours after snorting line of cocaine 

A father-of-two died in his sleep hours after snorting a line of cocaine from a house key during a night out with his girlfriend.

Sales assistant George Seeby, 25, had woken up the morning after and asked girlfriend Darcy Ankers to shut their bedroom door so he could have a lie in whilst she was tending to their baby.

But just an hour later Miss Ankers returned to the bedroom to find Mr Seeby had passed away. 

Sales assistant George Seeby, 25, died from cocaine toxicity after a night out with his girlfriend Darcy Ankers (pictured together)

Sales assistant George Seeby, 25, died from cocaine toxicity after a night out with his girlfriend Darcy Ankers (pictured together)

Tests showed he died from cocaine toxicity, which caused him to have a fatal heart attack or seizure.

An inquest heard Mr Seeby, from Sale, Greater Manchester, was a devoted family man who was suffering the long term effects of a car accident in 2010 when left him with a severe head injury.

The tragedy occurred on October 21 2018 after Mr Seeby and Ms Ankers went for a night out in Altrincham after asking his mother Tracey Jones to babysit the children.

Ms Ankers explained how the couple moved between several pubs before going clubbing and dancing.

‘He did take cocaine whilst we were out. It wasn’t the first time he he had it. A few other people were taking it as well. He took it off a key. 

Tests showed the presence of cocaine in Mr Seeby’s system was at 91mg per 100ml of blood although a fatal level is usually 96mg depending on the person and their tolerance to the drug. A toxicologist concluded he died from cocaine toxicity.

The ONS’ annual report also shows fatalities from ‘designer’ pills, which work like Valium but can be up to 40 times stronger, have also risen sharply over the past few years, with 155 deaths recorded in 2021 alone.

This was more than triple the death toll from the year before. 

The ONS’s figures cover drug abuse and dependence, fatal accidents, suicides, and complications involving controlled and non-controlled drugs, prescription, and over-the-counter medications.

Around half of these deaths registered in 2021 will have occurred in previous years due to death registration delays.

The annual death toll has risen 81.1 per cent since 2012, when there were 46.6 deaths per million people.

Of the deaths registered last year, 3,809 were due to accidental poisoning while there were 927 instances of intentional self-poisoning.

There were 119 deaths arising from mental and behavioural disorders as a result of drug use, and four deaths following assault by drugs, medicaments and biological substances.

Almost two thirds (3,060) of the total deaths were related to drug misuse, with just under half (2,219) involved an opiate.

Deaths are particularly high in among people in Generation X, who were born who were born between the late 60s and early 80s and are now in their 40s and early 50s.

This so-called ‘Trainspotting generation’, named after the novel-turned film starring Ewan McGregor that highlighted drug use in Edinburgh among teens and young adults in the 1980s and 1990s, had the highest death rate of all groups in England and Wales in 2021

Death rates from drugs were 135.6 per million people among those between 45-and-49-years-of-age, followed by 127 deaths per million among those aged between 40-to-44. 

In comparison, the drug death rate among people in their late 20s was only 45.9 deaths per million people.  

By substance opiates continued to account for the majority of deaths, a long term trend that the ONS said possibly reflects long term heroin and morphine uses becoming increasingly at risk of a fatal overdose.

Trends of mixing opiates with other drugs, which can increase the risk of an overdose could also partly explain the rise.

ONS statisticians said rising cocaine deaths is likely a direct consequence of rising use of the drug in England and Wales combined with a rise in cocaine purity and a reduction in price. 

Ian Hamilton, an addiction expert at the University of York agreed with ONS.

‘Having stronger and cheaper cocaine has attracted new users some of whom will have been caught out by the purity of the drug and unfortunately overdosed, he said. 

He added, however, that lockdown may also have played role.

‘We know that use of cocaine fell during the pandemic but as restrictions lifted people returned to using the drug, this is also likely to have played a part as their tolerance would have reduced and they couldn’t cope with doses they were using prior to the pandemic,’ he said. 

Experts from Priory, a UK mental health and addiction service, said they had seen a rise in middle class people seeking help for cocaine addiction.  

Overall, inquiries about cocaine addiction are up 58 per cent compared to 12 months prior, a spokesperson said. 

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Niall Campbell, of Priory’s Roehampton Hospital in London said the rise in working from home had given people more opportunity to take drugs like cocaine.  

‘Without the need to go into the office, or attend meetings in person, people prone to cocaine and other addictions find more opportunities to continue them,’ he said.

It has not been easy for people to suddenly spend a lot of time at home, and the effect on personal relationships has been acute. Zoom and Teams are no substitute for face to face contact.’

He urged anyone worried about their cocaine use to seek help, adding that as it was cheaper and more available people were at increased risk of sustained use.  

‘Previously people would use cocaine on the weekends, recreationally, but it has now shifted to daily use. Like anything that gets cheaper and more available, it’s used by more and more people. It has become more normalised,’ he said. 

‘People will often have “euphoric recall” about their pre-lockdown drinking or drug use, and now feel the need to be even more intoxicated, or behave more recklessly. People think it’s victimless, which the drug trade absolutely isn’t – they care more about where their coffee comes from than where their cocaine comes from.’

‘Cocaine is extremely addictive and toxic and the effects are unpredictable, especially on the heart.’ 

Cocaine is increasingly accessible in the UK with a survey of 1,000 cocaine users in England and Scotland in 2018 finding 37 per cent could get the drug delivered to them within 30 minutes. This compared with only 12.2 per cent of people in England and 19.8 per cent in Scotland who said they could get a pizza delivered in this time.

Drug dealers also adapted to the Covid pandemic and lockdown advertising their services via private messaging apps and using food delivery services to transport drugs. 

Middle-class cocaine users have become an increasing target for Government action. In March last year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was said to be planning a PR blitz campaign of adverts targeted at middle-class drug users aiming to make cocaine as socially unacceptable as drink-driving.

This chart shows the mortality rates from drug poisoning in England and Wales over time. The dark blue line shows the overall death rate whereas the light blue shows the death rate for me and the purple shows the rate for women. Men have a much higher chance of dying by drug poisoning than women

This chart shows the mortality rates from drug poisoning in England and Wales over time. The dark blue line shows the overall death rate whereas the light blue shows the death rate for me and the purple shows the rate for women. Men have a much higher chance of dying by drug poisoning than women

This chart shows the death rates specifically for drug misuse, which includes accidental overdose. Like the overall death rate it has trended upwards in recent years, with men more at risk than women

This chart shows the death rates specifically for drug misuse, which includes accidental overdose. Like the overall death rate it has trended upwards in recent years, with men more at risk than women 

This graph breaks down the death rates of drug misuse by age group over time. Darker colours indicate a higher fatality rate. Death rates were highest in between people aged from 35-to-49 years of age

This graph breaks down the death rates of drug misuse by age group over time. Darker colours indicate a higher fatality rate. Death rates were highest in between people aged from 35-to-49 years of age

The ONS data also shows deaths related to methadone (purple line), an opiate prescribed on the NHS to help people stop taking heroin, and for end of life care, rose in 2021. In contrast, death rates for heroin and other opiates actually decreased slightly in 2021

The ONS data also shows deaths related to methadone (purple line), an opiate prescribed on the NHS to help people stop taking heroin, and for end of life care, rose in 2021. In contrast, death rates for heroin and other opiates actually decreased slightly in 2021

Cocaine use in England and Wales has been steadily increasing since 2015/16 with 2.9 per cent of the population having reported using the drug in 2018/19 (the latest data available) according to a Government survey

Cocaine use in England and Wales has been steadily increasing since 2015/16 with 2.9 per cent of the population having reported using the drug in 2018/19 (the latest data available) according to a Government survey

Deaths from designer benzodiazepines, a family of drugs that includes Valium, have also risen sharply, with 155 deaths recorded last year. This is triple that recorded in 2020 (51) and six times that recorded in 2019.

Benzodiazepines are prescription drugs used to treat anxiety, but drugs like flubromazolam and etizolam are up to 40 times stronger than diazepam, sold under the brand name Valium, which is available on the NHS. 

There were 663 deaths involving methadone registered in 2021, a 28.5 per cent rise from the previous year (516 deaths).

A total of 258 deaths involving new psychoactive substances were registered, up 88.3 per cent from the previous year (137 deaths).

There was also a geographic divide in drug deaths in England and Wales, with people in the North East more than three times more likely to die due to drugs misuse than people in the East (104.1 deaths per million versus 27.4 deaths per million).

And they were more than three times more likely to die from drug poisoning than people in London (163.4 deaths per million versus 47.6 deaths per million). 

Mr Hamilton said the record breaking death figures masked represented devastating and avoidable losses to thousands of families and urged the Government to do more. 

‘We know that the rise in drug related deaths over the last ten years has paralled the cuts in drug treatment srvices, drug treatment saves lives so it is no surprise that if the government fails to invest in treatment there will be consequences, unfortunately some people have paid for this with their lives as they have not been able to access support in a timely way,’ he said. 

Charity, Turning Point, called for the Government to continue to invest in ‘life-saving’ health, housing and social care services.

A spokeswoman said: ‘The pandemic exacerbated an existing public health crisis – however, we are clear that drug deaths are preventable.

‘At a time of political uncertainty, these new statistics provide a loud and clear call, whatever your political allegiances.

‘The Government’s 10-year drug strategy announced at the end of last year and additional funding coming into services is helping to turn the tide but there is a way to go.’

A Department of Health and Care spokesperson said the Government was taking action through its drug strategy.   

‘Our landmark drug strategy will help rebuild drug treatment and recovery services to better support people through recovery, as well as tackling the criminal supply chains which fuel illegal drug markets,’ they said.  

‘This will help to prevent nearly 1,000 deaths, deliver over 54,500 new treatment places – a 19 per cent increase on current numbers – and support 24,000 more people into recovery from substance dependency.’

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