Irish cocaine deaths rise more than 150% in three years, new figures show
The startling rise in cocaine deaths follows recent figures which showed that treatment cases for cocaine have more than trebled over the last six years.
Cocaine deaths have jumped by more than 150% over a three-year period, official figures show.
The country’s official database on drug deaths reveals that there were 130 fatal cocaine poisonings in 2020, compared to 55 in 2017 - which had been the most recent figures for Ireland.
Cocaine accounted for a third of all fatal overdoses in 2020, compared to 16% of deaths in 2017 and 8% in 2011.
The startling rise in cocaine deaths follows recent figures which showed that treatment cases for cocaine have more than trebled over the last six years.
The fatality figures, compiled by the Health Research Board, reveal a dramatic increase in the number of females dying from overdoses from any drug.
There has been a long gap in the publication of updated figures on drug deaths in Ireland, with the most recent statistics from 2017, partly due to the impact of Covid-19 on the detailed research involved in compiling and checking the information.
The HRB provided the updated figures on the National Drug-Related Deaths Index at today’s third session of the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use.
It shows there were a total of 806 drug-related deaths in 2020.
They include 409 poisoning deaths, which are often referred to as overdoses and are due to the toxic effect of one or more drugs.
There were also 397 non-poisoning deaths, including medical causes, such as heart attacks or liver disease, or trauma, such as death caused by hanging.
The index recorded:
- 806 deaths in 2020, compared to 845 in 2019 (-5%), 786 in 2017 (+3%) and 645 deaths in 2011 (+25%);
- 409 poisoning deaths in 2020, compared to 371 in 2019 (+10%); 340 in 2017 (+20%) and 314 in 2011 (+30%);
- 397 non-poisoning deaths in 2020, compared to 474 in 2019 (-16%), 439 in 2017 (-10%) and 270 in 2011 (+48%) The figures show a continuing rise in fatal overdoses, including in recent years, while there has been a significant drop in non-poisoning deaths.
More than half of fatal overdoses involved people with a history of mental health issues, with the number doubling, from 107 in 2011 to 212 in 2020.
In relation to gender, there has been an 87% jump in fatal poisonings involving women (83 in 2011 to 155 in 2020) with a 10% increase in male deaths.
In 2020, women accounted for almost four in ten fatal overdoses, compared to a quarter in 2011.
The difference was even greater in the last year, with female deaths increasing from 115 in 2019 to 155 in 2020, while male deaths fell slightly, from 256 to 254.
In relation to the drugs implicated, seven in ten involved opioids (282) - including heroin (113) and methadone (139).
In terms of individual drugs, cocaine was the joint second most cited (130), overtaking heroin in 2020, even though heroin deaths have been increasing too.
Cocaine poisoning deaths have risen sharply over the decade, from 24 in 2011 – a five-fold increase.
Six in ten deaths (228) involved benzodiazepines (sedatives available both on prescription and illegally on the street) and many involved more than one type of benzodiazepine.
The main benzodiazepines implicated were Diazepam (130) and Flurazepam (30) There were 81 deaths involving alcohol, with other drugs, in 2020, compared to 80 in 2011.
The HRB said separate figures show that deaths involving alcohol-only poisonings stood at 65 in 2020, compared to 63 in 2011.
There were 11 deaths from MDMA (ecstasy) in 2020, the same as 2011.
Fatal poisonings from so-called novel psychoactive substances – synthetic chemicals manufactured to mimic the effects of ecstasy, cocaine or cannabis – increased from eight in 2011 to 22 in 2020.
Eight in ten poisoning deaths involved more than one drug.
In relation to non-poisoning deaths, the numbers rose from 270 in 2011 to 397 (+47%), but they fell dramatically on 2019, when there were 474 deaths (-16%).
Similar to poisoning deaths, there has been a far greater increase in female non-poisoning deaths, more than doubling, from 51 in 2011 to 111 in 2020.
Non-poisoning deaths among men rose by 30% but reduced significantly between 2019 and 2020 (356 to 286). The drop among females was slight (118 to 111).
Females accounted for 28% of non-poisoning deaths in 2020, compared to 19% in 2011.
More than four out of ten non-poisoning deaths involved people with a history of mental ill-health.
The number of deaths by hanging increased from 69 to 108 over the last decade.
In addition, the number of deaths by drowning rose from seven to 24, while deaths from falls increased from less than five to 22.
HRB chief executive, Dr Mairéad O’Driscoll, said: “These findings clearly demonstrate the impact that drug use has in Irish society.
“HRB findings increase understanding of both the causes death and the circumstances in which people who use drugs die. This can help inform preventative measures, which we hope will ultimately save lives.”
Dr Suzi Lyons, senior researcher at the HRB, said: “Our findings are a really important way of looking at the overall burden of drug use in the population.
“We can clearly see that mixing drugs is a major factor in poisoning deaths. We also see that the growing prevalence of cocaine use in society is reflected in deaths with cocaine implicated in 130 deaths in 2020 compared to 24 in 2011.”
In relation to hangings, she said: “Hangings were a main cause of non-poisoning deaths. Three in five people who die by hanging, also had a known history of mental health issues.”
The third session of the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs, being held over this weekend, is focusing on state and voluntary drug services in Ireland and will also look at health projects in Portugal and Austria.
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