Waythrough responds to latest drug-related deaths figures
The Office for National Statistics has today announced the number of deaths caused by drug poisonings registered in 2025.
Today’s figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are not just numbers. Every death is a person whose life mattered; a person who should still be with us. They leave behind family, friends and communities who feel their loss. Our thoughts are with everyone grieving a loved one.
The latest figures show a slight fall in drug poisoning deaths for the first time in over a decade, which is welcome. But 3,615 people still died from drug use in 2025.
The changing patterns of harm are concerning. For the first time since records began, cocaine overtook heroin and morphine as the most commonly mentioned individual drug in poisoning deaths, while deaths involving synthetic cannabinoids more than doubled. Opioids remain the largest overall contributor to drug poisoning deaths. The continued concentration of deaths among people aged 40 to 49 also shows the need for sustained support for people who use drugs over a long period.
These figures underline the need for responsive and human services in an increasingly complex and changing landscape of drug use and related harm.
Compassionate, evidence-based support saves lives. Every day, our teams work alongside people affected by drug use, helping them reduce harm, access treatment and make changes on their own terms. We know what works and, most importantly, so do they. But too many people still face fragmentation and barriers when looking for the help they need.
Drug use doesn’t happen in isolation. Poverty, poor mental health, insecure housing and inequality all make people more vulnerable. Yet, as a society we expect people to navigate disconnected services when they most need support that sees them as a whole person.
Over the next ten years, we have committed to saving a million lives and enhancing a million more through our new strategy, The Way Ahead. We’ll do this by breaking down those barriers and joining up support, working alongside people with lived experience, communities and our partners.
We need continued government commitment to properly funded treatment, harm reduction, prevention, and innovation, alongside action to address the inequalities that put lives at risk. We also all need to show more courage to challenge stigma, call out failing systems and relentlessly pursue the changes we know can save lives.
If you need support right now, please know that you deserve kindness, respect and a future. Wherever you are in life, we won’t judge you or write you off.