- Published
The number of deaths from cocaine use in England and Wales has nearly quadrupled in a decade, overtaking those attributed to heroin for the first time.
asserted
number → publish → time
Cocaine was linked to more than one in five drug poisoning deaths registered in 2025, more than any other single substance, with charities blaming its increased purity and availability.
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charities → link → purity
Meanwhile a record 115 ketamine-linked deaths were registered, almost twice as many as in 2024, according to Office for National Statistics data, external.
uncertain
deaths → link → data
The overall rate of drug deaths fell for the first time since 2012.
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rate → fall → 2012
But experts pointed out regional inequality was growing, with the rate of such deaths more than twice as high in the North East as in London.
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rate → point → London
Of these, cocaine was mentioned in 1,233 cases - slightly fewer than the previous year but higher than the 1,210 deaths linked to heroin or morphine, which also marked a fall from the previous year's level.
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which → mention → level
However, deaths linked to opiate and opioid drugs combined were still higher.
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deaths → link → drugs
The ONS also said there was a lag between deaths occurring and being registered.
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deaths → say → occurring
The fatality rate fell from 93.9 deaths per million people a year earlier, representing the first annual decline since 2012.
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rate → fall → 2012
In September, National Records of Scotland said drug deaths there had risen by 11% in 2025 on the year before, marking the worst mortality rate in Europe,
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deaths → say → Europe
In May the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency said drug-related deaths rose by 7.1% between 2021-23 and 2022-24, external.
uncertain
deaths → say → 2021
Dr James Morgan, who specialises in addiction and mental health at London Metropolitan University, said while there had been a slight decrease in deaths "the numbers remain objectively high", with total drug fatalities in England and Wales roughly doubling since 2012.
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fatalities → specialise → 2012
"What we are seeing is increasing polarisation and growing inequalities, where the poorest regions are falling behind, and more affluent regions doing better," he said.
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he → see → polarisation
The steepest increases were found in formerly industrial areas with high levels of poverty and unemployment dating back to the 1980s, including the North East, Wales, Yorkshire and the Humber, the North West and the East Midlands.
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increases → find → East
Morgan pointed out that cocaine death figures included not only those who snorted the drug but also users who injected it or smoke crack cocaine in combination with opioids or counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs.
"The small decline in deaths related to cocaine should not be over-interpreted.
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decline → point → cocaine
Most important is that deaths relating to cocaine remain roughly quadruple what they were in 2015 and are now more frequent than deaths relating to heroin or morphine," he said.
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he → relate → heroin
Meanwhile, ketamine was referenced in 115 deaths last year - almost double the year before and up from just seven fatalities 10 years earlier.
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ketamine → reference → fatalities
Morgan said this was down to lower prices and use of the drug becoming normalised.
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use → say → drug
He said there were increasing reports of young people becoming dependent on ketamine and suffering acute health difficulties such as bladder damage.
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people → say → damage
Mike Trace, CEO of the addiction charity Forward Trust, said drug poisoning deaths remained high because of factors including the proliferation of very strong synthetic opioid drugs called nitazenes.
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deaths → say → drugs
"We know that increasingly potent drugs like nitazenes are making their way on to the market.
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drugs → know → market
We know that established drugs like cocaine are growing in purity which means they come with much higher risks to users," he said.
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he → know → users
Nitazenes can be many times more potent than heroin and have been linked to hundreds of UK deaths.
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Nitazenes → link → deaths
Tom Powell and Nyk Irvin's brother Anthony Irvin died from drug poisoning in Ramsgate in September 2025 at the age of 52.
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Powell → die → 52
His siblings believe his death was caused by a supply of drugs being contaminated with synthetic opioids, but say delays in blood testing mean they will never know for sure.
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they → believe → testing
"Today's figures are shocking," Powell said.
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Powell → say → ?
"We are fighting to wake people up to the scale of the problem."
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We → fight → problem
The Aporia
