A REPORT into the number of crack cocaine and opiate users in the region has revealed that more than 1,000 Warrington residents are using the drugs.
Public Health England released data on the estimated number of crack cocaine and opiate users across each region of England, aged between 15 and 64 years old.
It found 1,029 people in Warrington were using crack cocaine and/or opiates between March 2016 and March 2017.
The report reveals that almost 50,000 people estimated to be using both crack cocaine and opiates live in the north west.
This figure has shot up by more than 3,500 people in the last five years.
Worryingly, these figures don’t include anyone using cocaine in powder form, amphetamines, ecstasy or cannabis.
The number of people living across the north west aged only 15-24 and using opiates and/or crack cocaine currently stands at almost 3,758 and is of particular concern to the addiction expert team at UKAT.
UKAT’s CEO and former addict Eytan Alexander said: "Public Health England’s data clearly shows that an alarming number of teenagers and young adults are addicted to these incredibly potent substances.
“They’re seeking the feeling of euphoria at pocket money prices – crack rocks can be purchased for as little as a fiver with dealers available any time of day at the click of a button.
“Teenagers misusing crack and opiates at such an early age will not only suffer with the physical effects of the drugs, but the drugs could impact their education, overall achievement in life and expose them to a criminal environment at a young age, without full understanding of the risks and consequences of their actions."
It is not just the younger population in the region addicted to crack and opiates.
The number of people recorded as using crack cocaine aged 25-34 stands at 9,787 with a further 36,326 people addicted to opiates aged 35-64.
Mr Alexander added: "The impact of a person misusing these drugs in later life has a knock-on effect on their family, children, spouses as well as their own personal health, which will deteriorate at a much faster pace if drug use continues, and for some, will prove fatal."
You can find out more about opiate addiction by clicking here
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