Society Facts

The government is claiming credit for a fall in deaths related to drug abuse after the total dropped to its lowest since 1994.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics (www.ons.gov.uk) show that the number of deaths caused by drug abuse in England and Wales fell to 2,445 in 2003, the third annual fall since a peak of 2,967 in 2000. The total death toll has fallen by 12% since 1999.

Deaths associated with cocaine or amphetamines (including ecstasy) have fallen by 10% since 2002, while those connected with heroin or methadone are at their lowest levels since 1999.

There were 591 heroin-related deaths in 2003, compared with a peak of 926 in 2000.

Public health minister Melanie Johnson attributed some of the progress to the government's Action Plan on Drug Related Deaths, launched in 2001.

For people under 20, the number of deaths fell by almost a third between 2002 and 2003. The highest rates of drug misuse deaths in 2003 occurred among people aged 20-39.

However, while deaths for men and women in this bracket have been declining for a few years, 2003 saw a slight increase in the number of over-50s dying. Also less encouraging is the fact that deaths involving antidepressants and paracetamol went up in 2003.

The total number of women dying has remained relatively stable for more than a decade, with the latest decreases mainly affecting men.