The number of drug overdose deaths has soared to a 32-year high, including a fourfold increase in lives lost after taking synthetic drugs up to 100 times more potent than heroin.
Official figures show 5,565 people died from drug poisoning in England and Wales in 2024, the highest since records began in 1993.
This includes 195 people who died after taking lethal new synthetic opioids called nitazenes, which it is feared are flooding the British drugs market. This is up from just 52 deaths linked to the substances in 2023.
Drug experts have branded the figures a “national scandal” and called for urgent government action to bring deaths down.
Mike Trace, CEO of the Forward Trust and former government drug czar, told The Independent: “Every year these drug-related death figures should be a national scandal.”
He noted the number of lives lost is almost four times those killed in road traffic accidents, yet successive governments have shown “inertia” over harm reduction reform.
He said the Scottish government has pursued a mission to bring down these death rates, but Westminster remains relatively silent on the problem.
“The government needs to take these figures much more seriously and take action to bring deaths down,” he said, adding that leaders are often “squeamish” about adopting policies to help ensure active drug users can seek advice and support to prevent overdose.
While historically drug-related deaths were dominated by heroin overdoses, there is now a wider cocktail of drugs involved.
He fears the number of deaths recorded as linked to novel synthetic substances like nitazenes could be the tip of the iceberg due to inquest delays and testing only just catching up.
“The nature of these new synthetic substances means there are many more ways to get them into the country and even produce them in the country,” he said.
“The biggest risk is they are much higher potency. It’s that potency which is the main driver of the death rate.”
Last year, grieving mother Claire Rocha told The Independent the drugs were a “ticking time bomb” after her son Dylan unwittingly took a substance laced with isotonitazene - a type of nitazene which is up to 500 times stronger than morphine.
The talented musician died aged just 21 in July 2021, in what is thought to have been one of the first deaths linked to nitazenes in Britain.
The Office for National Statistics, which published the latest figures, warned that some of the data is incomplete because in around a fifth of cases, no information is provided about the specific drug or drugs involved on a death registration form.
It added that because of delays, around half of the deaths registered in 2024 will have occurred in previous years.
Those aged between 40 and 49 were most at risk, with an average age of 45.5 years for men and 48.5 years for women.
Heroin and other opiates or opioids were a factor for the most deaths, having been linked to 2,621 deaths in 2024, up 2.7 per cent on the previous year.
Deaths linked to cocaine, Britain’s second most-used drug, were also up 14.4 per cent on the previous year, with 1,279 registered in 2024.
Sir Richard Branson, who is a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, said the figures show a “national crisis worsened by dangerous synthetic opioids like nitazenes”.
“Not every drug death is preventable, but the vast majority are,” the Virgin founder said. “Yet the UK government continues to ignore the evidence.”
He called for a “radical shift” to focus on harm reduction measures such as drug checking services and medically supervised drug consumption rooms. Only one such facility, The Thistle in Glasgow, exists in the UK.
The charity Turning Point, which helps people with substance abuse problems, called for increased availability of medication to be given in the event of opioid overdoses.
Its chief operating officer Clare Taylor said: “Synthetic opioids continue to flow into the market.
“Lab-produced opioids pose a significant risk to life due to their potency and this is reflected in the fact that deaths related to nitazenes have increased fourfold compared to the previous year.
“We would like to see continuing efforts to increase the availability of naloxone, a lifesaving medication which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “This government is committed to cutting the number of drug-related deaths through treatment, advice and support and focusing on those deprived areas suffering most.
“This week we launched a new campaign to alert young people to the dangers of ketamine, counterfeit medicines and contaminated vapes.
“Through mission-driven government, we will continue to work with partners across health, policing and wider public services to drive down drug use, reduce harms and build a fairer Britain for all.”
