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Cocaine-related deaths overtook heroin for the first time in 2015

ByEleanor LawrieSocial Affairs Reporter
  • Published23 minutes ago

The number of deaths from cocaine use in England and Wales has nearly quadrupled in a decade, overtaking those attributed to heroin for the first time.

Cocaine was linked to more than one in five drug poisoning deaths registered in 2025, more than any other single substance, with charities blaming its increased purity and availability.