Cocaine deaths soar as charity warns 'drug more available than ever'

Cheaper and 'more accessible' street drugs are contributing to a 'huge' rise in cocaine deaths in the West Midlands, health experts have warned. New figures showed the number of people who died in England and Wales after taking cocaine was ten times higher in 2023 than 2022.

Cocaine has consistently been the second most-used drug in England behind cannabis, and experts are warning 'not enough people' are coming forward to access support. A Birmingham drug charity said it had seen a 65 per cent rise in the number of people seeking treatment for cocaine abuse, but the majority of users 'don't come forward' to access help.

Total drug deaths in the West Midlands reached a record high, with 518 deaths attributed to drug poisoning registered last year. A total of 1,118 deaths involving cocaine were registered in the UK last year, with fears social media and the dark web had made it 'easier than ever' to buy the drug.

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Change Grow Live is a national drug and alcohol service with a treatment centre in Hockley. Nic Adamson, the group's deputy CEO, said the Birmingham treatment centre had seen a 'huge spike' in the number of people coming forward for treatment for cocaine abuse.

She said 'increased availability' was behind the recent spike in deaths. "The purity of cocaine has increased in recent years, prices have dropped and availability has also increased," Nic said.

"It's well-documented now that you can buy drugs on the dark web or even social media channels. Today there are so many ways people can source drugs, rather than the traditional model you might see on TV.

"It's much easier to get hold of and you can buy it in smaller quantities which makes it more attractive to people. Cocaine is often taken alongside other drugs or stimulants too, so it can be a mix of drugs in a person's system, which is very dangerous.

"Another factor is people who use cocaine are not presenting for treatment, in the same way people who use heroin do. We know from the statistics that a lot of people addicted to cocaine don't engage with health services."

Nic said the threat from drugs to the UK had increased due to an expanding synthetic drugs market - particularly on the dark web. Synthetic drugs refer to substances artificially modified from naturally-occurring drugs and often pose increased health risks.

Nic added: "If you're buying drugs, you might be buying what you think is cocaine, but is actually a synthetic drug that is mixed with other drugs, which can cause significant harm. We've heard of people having overdoses on cocaine because it was laced with other, more dangerous, synthetic drugs."

Nationally, 5,448 people died as a result of drug poisoning last year, with the number rising every year since 2012. According to the data, rates of drug misuse continued to be elevated among those aged between 40 and 49, known as Generation X.

Drugs charity Release said the criminalisation of drugs had also contributed to a sharp rise in cocaine deaths. Shayla Schlossenberg, head of drug services at the group, said: "Drug deaths, including cocaine deaths, are exacerbated in the UK by criminalisation, which deters people from seeking support, as well as by the political and economic disinvestment in harm reduction services, which educate and provide resources for people who use drugs to stay safer when they are consuming drugs.

"Recently, cocaine's purity has increased, and that higher purity can lead to greater health risks, especially when people are unaware of the strength of the cocaine they are consuming. Some of these tragic deaths can be linked to the cardiovascular problems which can arise as a consequence of coke use, which can trigger cardiac arrest or cause cardiomyopathy over time.

"Also, cocaine mixed with alcohol creates a substance in the body called cocaethylene which is more cardiotoxic than cocaine on it's own. With purity levels at an all-time high and falling prices increasing accessibility, we shouldn't expect this problem to disappear.

"We need a pragmatic approach to keep people alive, which means support for harm reduction services such as drug checking to inform people on the contents and purity of their drugs, and public health campaigns to make sure the general public is informed on how to stay as safe as possible when using coke."