Fewer Britons are taking drugs, but more are dying from them

By THE DATA TEAM

WHAT links brown sugar, concrete and malaria pills? Few would answer that they were all a great way of getting high. Last month, however, all three were found in samples of illegal drugs tested at Kendal Calling, a festival in the north of England. The Loop, a charity, set up a laboratory at the event, allowing potential users to test their drugs before taking them —with an assurance that this would not lead to criminal charges. Its founder, Fiona Measham, claims that one-fifth of those who had drugs tested threw them away after discovering their true ingredients.

Festival-goers fear more than a bad trip or an overly heady buzz. Drugs in England and Wales have become more lethal of late. From 2005 to 2016, deaths from drug poisoning increased by 36%. This is despite the fact that getting high has never been less popular. During the same period, the share of 16- to 59-year-olds who reported taking narcotics in the past year fell from 11.2% to 8.5%. If fewer people are taking drugs, why are more people dying from them?