The National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths (np-SAD) today publishes its annual report on drug-related deaths in the UK.
The total number of drug-related deaths reported in the UK was 1,900 in 2007, an increase of around 8 per cent from the previous year (1, 752).
As with 2006, heroin/morphine remained the most commonly mentioned drug and was implicated in 48% of deaths but there were notable changes in the number of deaths that involved cocaine and methadone. In 2007, cocaine was implicated in 17.1% of all drug-related deaths (up 5 percentage points from 2006) while methadone was mentioned in 20% of all cases, an increase of 3 percentage points from the previous year.
Hosted by the International Centre for Drug Policy (ICDP), np-SAD collates data on drug-related deaths reported in England, Wales and the Islands (Guernsey, Jersey and Isle of Man). Figures are also drawn from deaths recorded by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.
For more information contact Tamsin Starr at St George’s, University of London Communications on 0208 725 1139; 07786 982028 or at media@sgul.ac.uk
