Britain is facing a public health emergency as alarming figures for England and
Wales show drug-related deaths have hit record levels, prompting calls for damaging cuts to treatment services to be urgently reversed.
The
statistics for England and Wales – which show a 16% increase in deaths from drug poisoning in 2018, the highest annual leap since records began – come weeks after figures revealed Scotland’s drug-related death toll had also reached record levels.
The latest figures also highlight a north-south divide, with deaths in the north-east higher than any other English region or in Wales.
Drug treatment experts, including the Royal College of Psychiatrists, reacted angrily to the data, accusing the government of putting people’s lives at risk by cutting funding of vital treatments services. Victims aged between 30 and 49 drove the surge in fatalities.
Studies have shown that councils have responded to central government cuts by slashing spending on drug treatment services by about 27% since 2015/16, and by more than 50% in some areas.
