Drugs and alcohol deaths in Portsmouth double the national average
A reports found improvements are being made in treatment
Portsmouth City Council has reviewed drug use in the city, noting improvements in treatment but ongoing concerns on deaths being double the national average.
At a recent health and wellbeing board meeting, councillors and other key groups looked at the annual report from the Combating Drugs Partnership.
The report shows that since 2022, the number of adults getting help for drug and alcohol problems in Portsmouth has grown faster than the national average. Most new cases involve alcohol and non-opiate drugs like cocaine, crack, and ketamine.
Alan Knobel, Public Health Principal, said the rise in cases is a direct result of additional grant funding and increased service capacity.
Treatment results have improved, with 51 per cent of people making substantial progress, compared to 47 per cent nationally.
The number of adults in specialist treatment rose from 1,468 in March 2022 to 1,973 in February 2025 – a 34.4 per cent increase, compared to 24.3 per cent nationally. Most of this growth involved people using alcohol and non-opiate drugs like crack cocaine, cocaine, and ketamine.
Support for young people has also improved. The Drug & Alcohol Support Service helped 45 under-18s in 2024/25, up from 35 the year before. The main drugs involved were cannabis and alcohol, with ketamine becoming the third most common.
Partnerships with the police, NHS, probation, and voluntary services have led to a 27 per cent rise in drug intelligence sharing, with Portsmouth leading the region.
However, there are still serious issues. Cuts to funding threaten services for homeless people, death rates from drugs and alcohol remain high, staff shortages are putting services under pressure, and fewer opiate users are starting treatment.
Only half of people leaving prison get follow-up support. New risks include the rise in synthetic opioids and increased ketamine use.
Portsmouth continues to have high death rates related to drugs and alcohol. The alcohol-specific death rate is 29.6 per 100,000 people, while the drug death rate is 10.5. Both are much higher than the national averages of 14.1 and 5.5.
Although overdoses do contribute to these deaths, long-term health problems are a more common cause. People in this group face some of the most severe health inequalities in Portsmouth.