Tobacco 114,000
Alcohol 5,000 to 40,000
Heroin, morphine, methadone 944
Cocaine 147
Ecstasy 48
Aphetamines 83
Solvents 45
Cannabis 16
Source: Office for National Statistics, Department of Health and Ash.
Figures refer to 2004, where substance is mentioned on the death certificate, except alcohol and tobacco which are annual estimates.
DRUG ADDICTS
280,000-500,000
Source: Home Office research.
DRUG USERS
3.5 million a year aged 16 to 59
11 million in their liftetime
Source: British Crime Survey 05/06
DRUG RELATED CRIME
Estimated at £2.5 billion a year.
Here as an aide memoire more than anything else.
I think I\’m right in saying that a mention on a death certificate indicates a contribution to, a connection with, but not necessarily the sole cause of death.
There’s slightly more useful detail here
And of those listed as having died from Ecstasy/Cocaine/Amphetamines i wonder how many of them were genuinely killed by the recreational drug itself. Most likely the majority of these deaths will have been caused by also drinking far too much alcohol, having to consume drugs cut with some poison or other due to their having to purchase them illegally or from not drinking enough/drinking too much water and giving yourself brain swelling or a heart attack.
Thanks for that link, Mark – so, death rates are:
1.14% of tobacco users
1% of alcohol users
0.0054% of Ecstasy users
0.00003% of cannabis users
er… misplaced decimal point:
0.1% of alcohol users (not 1%)
I’d be interested in knowing their methodology for deaths due to cannabis! As far as I know, nobody at all has ever died from cannabis consumption, ever.