Britain must get ahead of the coming drug crisis

Editorial: The sooner the NHS, charities, public health authorities and police get on with preparing themselves, the better

Britain is suffering a spike in drug-related deaths, now at a 10-year high (iStock)

There are few things truly novel in the world of drug abuse, but the emergence of synthetic opioids being fraudulently marketed as genuine medicines is certainly a departure, and one that threatens a serious public health emergency.

As The Independent’s investigation reveals, the NHS, drug charities and the criminal justice system face what one expert in the field calls “a perfect storm”, with astonishingly strong synthetic opioids at the centre of the crisis. The deaths of almost 100 people in Britain are suspected to be linked to such synthetic opioids, with about half positively confirmed to be so.

Those involved in dealing with the consequences of this lethal trade expect a steep rise in fatalities. The increase in cases of anxiety and associated mental health conditions unfortunately creates an expanding market for fake tablets passed off as Valium and the like.