Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales

Motion Text

That this House notes with concern that the Office for National Statistics reported on 4 November 2026 that 5,519 deaths related to drug poisoning were registered in England and Wales in 2025, of which 2,324 involved opiates and 150 involved synthetic opioid nitazenes; recognises that many of these deaths were preventable, and that preventing them requires a sustained response combining treatment and harm reduction; further notes the wide variation in drug-related death rates between different parts of the country, underlining the clear link between socioeconomic deprivation and higher drug-related mortality; recommends that regular data on deaths linked to synthetic opioids is published; urges the Government to adopt and enact measures to widen access to the lifesaving antidote to opioid overdose naloxone without delay; and calls on the Government to develop a national overdose prevention strategy that increases coverage of opioid substitution therapy, backed by a long-term commitment to ring-fenced funding for drug and alcohol treatment and harm reduction services.