Escalating drug related deaths in the UK
A fundamental reorientation in approach is needed The escalating rates of drug related deaths in the UK constitute a public health crisis.1 Recently released figures for 2021 show 3060 deaths related to the use of illicit drugs in England and Wales and 1330 in Scotland.23 Although Northern Ireland’s 2021 figures are yet to be released, a record numbers of deaths occurred in 2020.4 The most damning indictment of the UK’s response to drugs is that these figures are no longer surprising because rates have increased for more than a decade to among the highest in Europe.2345 This unconscionable...