a direct result of policy failures both in the UK and internationally
The latest statistics on drug-related deaths in England and Wales reveal a disturbing trend, with cocaine overtaking heroin as the leading cause of such deaths, according to the report. The north-east of England had the highest rates of drug deaths, at 135.2 deaths per million people in 2025, while London had the lowest rate at 58.3 deaths per million.
Deaths were five times higher in the most deprived areas than the least deprived, highlighting the significant social and economic disparities that exist in the country. The statistics also showed rates of deaths from ketamine had risen dramatically from a very low base a decade ago, with ketamine mentioned in 115 deaths in 2025, compared with 27 in 2020 and seven in 2015.
Niamh Eastwood, the executive director of Release, the UK’s national centre of expertise on drugs and drug laws, said cocaine deaths were “a direct result of policy failures both in the UK and internationally”. She noted that cocaine production is at an all-time high, making it more available, cheaper, and purer than ever, despite billions spent on trying to disrupt or eradicate the trade.
Mike Trace, the chief executive of the social justice charity Forward Trust, described the overall drug-related death rate as “a national scandal that needs urgent attention”. He attributed the rise in cocaine deaths to the perfect storm of record levels of production in South America leading to falling prices combined with increasing purity, which means increasing potency and risk. Will Haydock, the chief executive of Collective Voice, a drug treatment campaigning charity, warned that improvements previously made were “now at risk due to government inaction”.
The UK government has been criticised for its lack of action on addiction, with the planned investment programme paused and funding frozen at year-three levels, resulting in a real-terms cut at a time when more people are seeking treatment than ever before. Haydock emphasized the need for a new drugs strategy with clear priorities, including reducing drug-related deaths, to address the crisis and save hundreds of thousands of lives.
