Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the rate of cocaine-related deaths among (a) women and (b) men.
The Office of National Statistics report ‘Deaths related to drugs poisoning in England and Wales: 2019 registrations’ shows that cocaine deaths have risen for the eighth consecutive year to their highest level, with the male death rate in 2019 being nearly four times higher than the female death rate. The second phase of Dame Carol Black’s Review of Drugs is focussing on treatment and recovery services, for the misuse of cocaine and other drugs, and the final report will be made available to Ministers later this year.