Digging Into England’s Opiate and Crack Cocaine Problem: What the Latest Numbers Show
- emcat55
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
The Department of Health and Social Care, along with the UK Health Security Agency, just released fresh numbers on people struggling with opiate or crack cocaine use in England. These stats cover April 2022 through March 2023, and they’re more than just numbers - they help shape how we treat addiction, where the money goes, and what public health strategies need to look like.
Here’s what stands out:
Across England, about 310,700 people aged 15 to 64 are living with problematic opiate or crack use. That’s roughly 8.5 in every 1,000 people in that age group. Most of these cases involve opiates (mainly heroin), with over 7 out of 1,000 using opiates alone or alongside crack.
But the story shifts depending on where you are. The North East tops the list, with 12.8 per 1,000 people affected. Yorkshire and the Humber comes next at 11.6, and the North West isn’t far behind at 11.3 per 1,000. So, some areas are really feeling the weight of this crisis more than others. Local solutions matter.
One thing to keep in mind: these numbers only count people with high-risk, dependent, or problematic use. They don’t include people who use opiates or crack casually or just now and then. To get these estimates, analysts used a method called capture-recapture modelling. They pulled together data from drug treatment services, the criminal justice system (like arrests and prison records), and drug-related deaths. This approach focuses on people with serious, ongoing issues and doesn’t pick up on occasional users - those are usually counted in broader surveys, like the Crime Survey for England and Wales. There, crack use outside of these severe cases stays low.
It’s also worth noting that the way they crunched the numbers has changed since pre-COVID reports. The new method tries to better reflect how the pandemic and regional differences have changed things. Because of this, comparing these numbers directly with earlier years isn’t really fair.
Bottom line: England still faces a tough battle with opiate dependence. The takeaway is clear - consistent investment in harm reduction, accessible treatment, and recovery support is crucial.
You can dive into the full report, with more details on local areas and the complete methodology, here:
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