DRUG ABUSE DEATHS AMONG YOUNG MEN DOUBLE IN 4 YEARS
By Sally Pook

Drug abuse deaths among men have doubled in four years, with heroin
and cocaine blamed for the rise, according to figures published yesterday.

A fifth of all deaths among men in their twenties are now blamed on
drugs. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics paint
the first accurate picture of deaths in England and Wales from
different types of drugs. The information is expected to be used to
help the Government make decisions on its drugs strategy.

However Keith Hellawell, anti-drugs co-ordinator, said yesterday that
the true number of drug deaths could be far higher. He said: "For some
time, we have acknowledged that the reported number of drug-related
deaths is not a true reflection of the actual number. All deaths from
drugs misuse are tragic and the Government's anti-drugs strategy was
drawn up specifically to tackle the misuse of illegal drugs."

A total of 491 men died as a result of drug dependence or abuse in
1997 compared with only 245 in 1993. In women, deaths from drug abuse
almost doubled in the same period, from 45 to 84. Hard drugs such as
heroin and cocaine were mostly to blame for the rise but deaths from
ecstasy, which had received massive publicity in recent years, fell
and were far less than those from other class A drugs.

Heroin was listed on 255 drugs-related death certificates in 1997
compared with 67 in 1993. And cocaine deaths trebled from 12 in 1993
to 38 in 1997. A spokesman for the statistics office said: "The
increase in recordings of cocaine may be due to increased use or
increased recording, or a combination of both."

Cocaine had become increasingly popular in recent years as its price
had fallen and it had overtaken in popularity "rave" drugs such as
ecstasy among young users. Deaths from ecstasy trebled between 1993
and 1994 from eight to 27 but by 1997 had fallen back to 11. The
average age of people whose death certificates recorded heroin or
cocaine as a cause of death was 30, said the figures.

The Government's advisory council on the misuse of drugs is due to
complete a report on drug abuse deaths shortly. Mr Hellawell said:
"The Government will be responding as appropriate to the
recommendations as a matter of priority."

He was appointed two years ago to create a national strategy to deal
with the rising number of Britons abusing drugs. By 2005, the
Government's anti-drugs strategy hopes to reduce the number of men and
women using heroin and cocaine by a quarter, and three years later by
a half.