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Heroin deaths increase by two thirds in two years, UK figures show

BMJ 2015; 351 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h4754 (Published 04 September 2015) Cite this as: BMJ 2015;351:h4754
  1. Jacqui Wise
  1. 1London

Deaths involving heroin and morphine in England and Wales have increased by 64%, from 579 deaths in 2012 to 952 in 2014, figures from the Office for National Statistics have shown.1

The rise is thought to be due to several factors including the increased availability of heroin, together with its lower price and higher purity. An increase was also seen in deaths where heroin is taken alongside other substances, up from 30% in 1993 to 48% in 2014. The substances most commonly mentioned …

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