drug overdose deaths

Overdose deaths dropped 3 percent, marking the first dip since 2018.

The Office of National Statistics says there were 4,907 deaths in England and Wales in 2022 caused by illegal narcotics like heroin and cocaine.

Among those who died, 79 percent tested positive for fentanyl and about 50 percent from methamphetamines or cocaine, the medical examiner reported.