Fentanyl and cocaine drug deaths rise

Tuesday, 7 August 2018 07:00

There has been a recorded rise in the number of fatalities from the opioid painkiller fentanyl, which was linked to at least 50 deaths across Yorkshire last year.

The data, from the Office for National Statistics, has also revealed deaths from psychoactive substances like spice or mephedrone halved.

Forms of fentanyl, used to treat cancer pain, are often imported illegally from Chinese laboratories and sold to users via the dark web.

Last year heroin and morphine related deaths decreased for the first time since 2012, while cocaine deaths rose.

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