25 Oct Drug Culture in London is at Dangerous Levels – Expert Warns More Support is Needed
The capital city of the UK, London, has been revealed to be among the locations in the UK that are facing the most dangerous levels of substance abuse and toxic drug behaviour, according to a new study.
The study from the team at Private Rehab Clinic Delamere, analysed the number of drug deaths from misuse and poisoning, drug-related hospital admissions, opiate and crack cocaine use and the number of searches per month for ‘drug rehab’ in each city across the UK, to raise awareness and offer support.
Landing among the top three locations in the UK was London, with a worrying score of 10 out of a possible 50.
The research confirmed that the highest number of drug deaths in the UK occurred in London (256) between 2019 and 2020, while more than 56,000 people in the city admitted to experimenting with opiates and crack cocaine at some point in their lifetime.
Also contributing to London’s third place on the list were 432 cases of drug poisonings, and 1,115 hospital admissions relating to drug abuse.
Martin Preston Founder and Chief Executive at Delamere, has explained why attitudes toward drug culture across the UK are so worrying: “Over the past few years, we have seen an alarming rise in those who have suffered from drug-related deaths, as a result of the pandemic, on-going cost of living crisis and impending recession.
“This could be because life-changing events such as these can quite often cause a sense of unease, and one way many people cope with this feeling is by turning to drugs, or using them at a greater level than normal.
“Considering the number of people that will be struggling financially come the winter, it is unsurprising to see why there are certain areas of the UK where worrying drug culture is more prevalent than others, as people may be more likely to use it as a way to cope.
“Not only that but the pandemic meant that many people have been unable to access services that they need due long waiting lists, delays or staff shortages. This, in turn, has caused a rise in drug poisoning and deaths in parts of the UK.”
