This month includes data on: Deaths amongst opioid users (esp those which are not overdose related); children in need and care and substance use problems; multiple and complex needs; trends in police recorded drug offences; gang membership, dependency and mental health problems; Seizures of synthetic cannabinoids in prison; public perceptions of the safety of drug taking

1. 10 things about
alcohol and other
drugs you may have
missed
February 2015
Andrew Brown
Director of Policy, Influence and Engagement
DrugScope
@andrewbrown365

2. There were more than five
and a half times the number
of deaths amongst opioid
users than would be expected
in the general population
between 2005 and 2009
Source: National record linkage study of mortality for a large cohort of opioid users ascertained by drug treatment or criminal justice sources in
England, 2005–2009, Pierce, Matthias et al., Drug & Alcohol Dependence , Volume 146 , 17 - 23
http://www.drugandalcoholdependence.com/article/S0376-8716(14)01844-4/pdf

3. Less than half of deaths (43%)
in opioid users are from
overdoses
1765
481
66
450
794 949
1353
375
119
602
686 308
MALE FEMALE 18-24
YEARS
25-34
YEARS
35-44
YEARS
45-64
YEARS
Other deaths Drug-related poisonings
“We demonstrate that health inequalities
between opioid users and the general
population persist and, for some diseases,
widen with age. These findings underline
the importance for public health policy
and treatment providers of delivering
effective addiction treatment for older
age groups, who are characterised by
multiple and complex health problems.
Importantly, as the opioid using
population ages, so their risk of death due
to drug-related poisoning is likely to
increase: national targets need to adjust
for age in order effectively to monitor the
impact of policies with the aim of
reducing drug-related poisoning deaths.”
Source: National record linkage study of mortality for a large cohort of opioid users ascertained by drug treatment or criminal justice sources in
England, 2005–2009, Pierce, Matthias et al., Drug & Alcohol Dependence , Volume 146 , 17 - 23
http://www.drugandalcoholdependence.com/article/S0376-8716(14)01844-4/pdf

4. Opioid users are 12
times more likely
to be murdered
than would be
expected in the
general population
Source: National record linkage study of mortality for a large cohort of opioid users ascertained by drug treatment or criminal justice sources in
England, 2005–2009, Pierce, Matthias et al., Drug & Alcohol Dependence , Volume 146 , 17 - 23
http://www.drugandalcoholdependence.com/article/S0376-8716(14)01844-4/pdf
8.8
15.3
27.3
HOMICIDE
STANDARDISED
MORTALITY RATE FOR
DEATH DUE TO
HOMICIDE AMONGST
OPIOID USERS IN
ENGLAND BY AGE
GROUP
18–34 years 35–44 years
45–64 years

5. 47,900
assessments for
children in need in
2013-14 where
alcohol or other
drugs were a factor
at initial assessment
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/characteristics-of-
children-in-need-2013-to-2014
435
children ran
away from foster
care because of
their substance
misuse last year
Source:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fostering-in-
england-1-april-2013-to-31-march-2014

6. Source: http://www.lankellychase.org.uk/news_events/501_new_profile_of_severe_and_multiple_disadvantage_in_england
Overlap of Severe and Multiple
Disadvantage Domains, England, 2010/11

7. Childhood experiences of those
experiencing severe and multiple needs6.50%
3.70%
4.50%
18.60%
10.30%
12.70%
9.50%
4.80%
17.40%
9.70%
12.90%
28.20%
28.30%
9.50%
22.40%
15.10%
17.80%
13.70%
16.30%
30.70%
41.90%
17.30%
24.30%
17.90%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
In care Homeless
family
Left home
< 16
Left home
> 16–17
Ran away Starved Abused Neglected
SMD1 SMD2 SMD3
Source: http://www.lankellychase.org.uk/news_events/501_new_profile_of_severe_and_multiple_disadvantage_in_england

8. Trends in police recorded ‘other crimes
against society’ in England and Wales
143,320 143,511 145,837
178,479
194,233
229,913
243,536
235,584 232,922 229,099
201,188
186,657
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 Yr end
Sep 13
Yr end
Sep 14
Drug offences Possession of weapons offences
Public order offences Miscellaneous crimes against society
Source: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-372973
16%
84%
Drug offences in the
year ending Sept 2014
Trafficking Possession

9. Independent Associations of Violence
and Gang Membership With Psychiatric
Morbidity
0.8
10.6
9.4
6
0.8
3.6
2.9
4.9
19.2
8.5
14.2
5
29.2
9.7
25.1
58.9
19.7
66.6
57.4
85.8
34.2
PSYCHOSIS ANXIETY DEPRESSION ALCOHOL
DEPENDENCE
DRUG
DEPENDENCE
ANTISOCIAL
PERSONALITY
DISORDER
SUICIDE
ATTEMPT
Non-violent Men Violent Men Gang Members
Source: Coid JW, Ullrich S, Keers R, et al. Gang membership, violence, and psychiatric morbidity. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2013;170(9):985-993.

10. Number of seizures of “Spice” in prisons
in England and Wales
15
86
133
262
430
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
2010 2011 2012 2013 JAN 2014 -
JULY 2014
Nearly 10,000 punishments in prison
were given for drug offences in 2013.
Over 530 dogs are currently
deployed to prisons in England and
Wales, searching cells for hidden
drugs, patrolling prison perimeters
and searching visitors to prevent
drugs from being smuggled in – of
which 13 have currently been trained
to search for NPS.
Many drugs are similar in appearance
and in some cases drugs seized are
not categorically identified by
scientific analysis. Where the drug
type is easily identifiable, they may
have been identified by appearance
only.
Sources: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-crackdown-on-dangerous-legal-highs-in-prison and
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2015-01-21.221487.h

11. What proportion of the public think it
is safe for people to use drugs, by age
18
44
35
1
6
4
10
10
11
3
13
36
28
3
7
6
7
7
12
4
7
35
16
0
1
2
4
2
6
1
6
30
12
1
1
1
1
1
2
0
18-24 25-39 40-59 60+
Source: http://cdn.yougov.com/cumulus_uploads/document/wk8mcjwmp4/InternalResults_150129_substances_safe_or_dangerous_Website.pdf
N = 1593