Submitted by Niamh Eastwood on
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Drug-related deaths increase for fourteenth year in a row as government response falls dangerously short
London, 17 October 2025: New figures released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that drug-related deaths have risen for the fourteenth consecutive year, reaching the highest level since records began. Deaths increased by 2.1% over the past year - double the number recorded in 2012 - signalling a worsening public health crisis.
Despite these shocking figures, the UK government’s new campaign, announced yesterday, fails to tackle the structural and policy failures that have fuelled this crisis. The campaign, backed by previously committed £310 million, offers no harm reduction advice, did not include consultation with people who use drugs, and instead revives the same outdated “war on drugs” messaging that has repeatedly failed to reduce deaths or improve access to treatment.
Recent research from King’s College London indicates the true scale of the crisis may be far worse, with real opioid-related deaths between 2011 and 2022 estimated to be 55% higher than official figures suggest. Moreover, the ONS data largely reflects deaths occurring in 2023, leaving the current situation - in the face of an increasingly toxic and unpredictable drug supply - obscured from view.
After more than a year in office, the Labour government has yet to conduct a single review of current drug policies or implement evidence-based interventions proven to save lives. Release warns that, without decisive action and a shift toward a public health approach, deaths will continue to climb year after year.
Niamh Eastwood, Executive Director of Release, the UK’s centre of expertise on drugs and drug laws, said:
“These figures show a public health crisis that is deepening year after year, with no action. The evidence on how to save lives is already clear, yet the government continues to rely on outdated ‘war on drugs’ policies that criminalise people—pushing them away from safety, care, and support. We urgently need to see investment in public health approaches to drugs that work, including drug testing, drug consumption rooms and harm reduction, and we need urgently to move away from punitive policies.”
“Every one of these deaths was preventable, and behind every number is a person, a family, and a community. This is not an abstract policy issue—it’s a public health crisis unfolding in public view. The government cannot keep turning away from the evidence while people continue to die needlessly because of failed policies and lack of services.”
Release is urging the government to act immediately by:
Implementing nationwide harm reduction measures, including drug checking and drug consumption rooms.
Reforming criminalisation policies that drive people away from support.
Investing in long-term, ring-fenced funding for health-led drug services.
Consulting people who use drugs to ensure policy is informed by lived experience and evidence.
Key points from the ONS report:
5,565 drug-poisoning deaths were registered in 2024.
3,736 deaths (67.1%) were identified as drug misuse.
Excluding cases with no drug information, 85.4% of deaths were linked to drug misuse.
The Northeast recorded the highest death rate - 167.6 deaths per million of the population (429 deaths) - for the 12th consecutive year.
London saw the largest increase, rising from 58.1 to 76.5 deaths per million (500 to 662 deaths), an 18.4 per million of the population rise.
2,621 deaths involved opiates or opioids, up 2.7% from 2023 (2,551 deaths).
Opiates/opioids were present in 47.1% of all deaths, rising to 59.9% when excluding those with unspecified substances.
Nitazene-related deaths quadrupled to 195 in 2024, up from 52 in 2023 (first recorded in 2020).
Cocaine-related deaths rose to 1,279, a 14.4% increase from 2023 (1,118 deaths) and 11 times higher than in 2011 (112 deaths).
ENDS
Notes to editors:
The Office for National Statistics report on drug-related deaths was published on 17 October 2025.
Release is the UK’s national centre of expertise on drugs and drug laws. Founded in 1967, the organisation provides free legal services, campaigns for evidence-based drug policy, and promotes harm reduction to save lives.
Media Contact:
For interviews or further information, please contact:
Niamh Eastwood, Executive Director, 020 7324 2980 or niamh@release.org.uk