“A significant rise in street drug purities, coupled with high levels of prescription drug and synthetic cannabinoid use among vulnerable communities, are raising concerns among drug services facing an ever more complicated drug scene — and a rising toll of drug deaths,” Max Daly, the author of the report said.
According to the report, in Bristol cocaine purity increased from 10 percent in 2013 to 30 percent in 2014, while heroin purity jumped from 10-15 percent to 20-25 percent. In Liverpool, the purity of heroin has risen from 25 to 40 percent in the space of a year.
“Sadly, too, our members are concerned that drug-related mortality figures will continue to rise,” DrugScope’s Chief Marcus Roberts said in a press release.
According to the latest report by the Office for National Statistics, nearly 2,000 drug misuse deaths were registered in 2013, marking a 20 percent increase compared with 2012 statistics, and deaths related to heroin and other substances involved in drug poisoning, rose by 32 percent.