Data published today from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) of the 2023 figures for deaths related to drug poisoning and misuse in England and Wales painted a horrific picture of rising drug deaths in London.
Toplines from the ONS data include:
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A rise in deaths related to drug poisoning from 84.4 deaths per million or 4,907 deaths in 2022 to 93.0 deaths per million people or 5,448 deaths in 2023.
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Over double the rate of drug deaths in men, with a rate of 127.6 deaths per million compared to 59.8 deaths per million among females.
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Double the rate of drug-poisoning deaths since 2012, when the rate was 46.5 deaths per million compared to the 2023 rate of 93.0 deaths per million.
Additionally, Table 1 illustrates a borough-by-borough breakdown of deaths by drug misuse.
Emphasising how miserably drug policies are failing Londoners, Green Party London Assembly Member Zoë Garbett remarked:
“Every drug death is preventable.
“Despite the billions government has spent on drug enforcement, deaths are still rising, drugs are still readily available, and the supply is more toxic and likely to get worse.
“If we want to put a stop to drug deaths in our communities, the Mayor must listen to science, listen to advocates, and most importantly listen to drug users and support the legalisation and regulation of drugs in London.
“I know today’s latest death numbers can be abstract, but this data shows more lives ruined, more families destroyed, and more communities ravaged by an epidemic that is entirely within our control.”
Table 1: Number of deaths related to drug misuse, persons by local authority, registered in each year between 2013 and 2023