Why do drug related deaths continue to rise?

Rob and Jamie discuss the recently published drug-related death statistics for England and Wales, that were released on Friday 17th October 2025. Across the two nations, the figure hit records levels again for the 12th consecutive year in a row, while in Wales, fatalities associated to substance use are at their highest levels too. We discuss why this is and what can be done to halt this rise.

Key figures from the data:

• A total of 5,565 people lost their lives in England and Wales in 2024 due to drug poisoning.
• In Wales, a total of 417 deaths related to drug poisoning were registered in 2024.
• Across England and Wales, there were 1,279 deaths associated to cocaine in 2024. This represents a 14.4% increase from 2023 and is the 13th consecutive annual rise of deaths associated to cocaine.

• In Wales, a total of 79 people lost their lives relating to cocaine use in 2024. This is a 21.5% increase from 2023 and represents a 1028% over the last 11 years.
• Almost half of all drug-poisoning deaths across England and Wales, involve an opiate. A total of 2,621 drug-poisoning deaths involved opiates; this is 2.7% higher compared 2023.
• In Wales, deaths associated to any opiate increased from 166 in 2023 to 196 in 2024. This represents an increase of 18% of people losing their lives associated to opiate use in the last 12 months.

• In Wales, there has also been a sharp rise in fatalities associated to benzodiazepines. There was a total of 83 benzodiazepine-related deaths, an increase from 67 in 2023.

If you have been affected by the issues discussed in this episode, please visit barod.cymru and confidentially chat to a trained support worker via Barod's Live Webchat Service, that is open 7-days a week, or call Dan 24/7, Wales' national drug and alcohol helpline on 0808 808 2234.