Drug deaths across the South West mapped, with BCP among the highest
Saturday, 7 November 2026 · Dorset & New Forest · Full report
Plymouth Live, 2026-11-06 | read: full article
What was found
Deaths from drug poisoning in England and Wales reached 5,519 in 2025, about 55% higher than ten years earlier 1. Deaths specifically classed as drug misuse fell slightly, by 3%, to 3,615 1. Plymouth reached a record of 64 drug poisoning deaths in 2025, close to double the 35 recorded the year before, and 51 of these were linked to misuse 1. Over three years Plymouth logged 122 such deaths, a rate of 17 per 100,000 people and the highest in the South West 1. Across both nations, cocaine appeared on 1,233 death certificates, more than eight times the 2010 figure, which makes it the single substance named most often 1. Opioids as a group still caused the most deaths, at 2,324 1.
Who it applies to
The figures cover people who died from drug poisoning in England and Wales, with a closer look at Plymouth and the wider South West 1. People in their forties had the highest death rate, 147 per million, which is three times the rate for those in their twenties 1. Men died at more than twice the rate of women 1.
How strong the evidence is
Strong. The full news article was read. It reports official national death statistics and regional figures covering all 5,519 registered deaths 1. Some limits apply. The counts are based on when deaths were registered, so reporting delays can shift numbers between years. Death certificates often list several drugs, which makes it hard to tell which substance, or which combination, caused a death. Differences between areas may partly reflect how easily people can reach local treatment services 1.
What it means in practice
Health agencies and support services may need to focus more on middle-aged people, especially men in their forties, who use cocaine 1. Areas with high death rates, such as Plymouth, may also need more resources directed to them 1.
What others say
Robin Pollard of the charity WithYou said cocaine has become cheaper, falling from roughly £100 to £60 or less per gram. He added that it has also become purer and more socially accepted, and that men are often reluctant to ask for help 1. Zaheen Ahmed of The UKAT Group argued that small improvements in national figures hide worsening problems in particular regions, and called on the government to act 1.
Original source
- MAPPED: Plymouth drug deaths soar as South West toll laid bare (Plymouth Live, 2026-11-06)