Cocaine overtakes heroin as most common substance in England and Wales drug deaths

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly center (67%).

3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Office for National Statistics data show cocaine was the substance most often involved in drug poisoning deaths registered in England and Wales in 2025, overtaking heroin for the first time. Cocaine was mentioned in 1,233 deaths, more than any other single substance. The ONS figures show overall drug deaths fell slightly from 2024, to 5,519 registrations, or 92.4 per million people. Deaths linked to ketamine reached a record 115, almost twice the 2024 number. Charities said the government must act now to reverse the trend. Experts pointed to growing regional inequality, with the rate in the North East more than twice that in London.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

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The coverage spectrum counts the outlets covering a story at each of five points. A short or missing segment means that part of the spectrum is mostly quiet.

Governor Loaded verb“slams”It adds drama to what was said. The governor criticized the lawmakers; “slams” makes it sound like a fight.More neutral: criticizes lawmakers over budget delay

Highlights mark words that carry a judgement. Tap one to see why, and what a neutral writer would say. Here it is “criticizes”.

The 5-point spectrum

Far Left
Voices that strongly advocate for progressive policies and systemic change.
Left
Mainstream liberal perspectives focusing on social equality and regulation.
Center
Sources that prioritize neutral reporting and balanced viewpoints.
Right
Mainstream conservative perspectives focusing on market freedom and tradition.
Far Right
Voices that strongly advocate for conservative values and limited government.

How we measure bias

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

Cocaine overtook heroin as the substance most often involved in drug poisoning deaths registered in England and Wales, according to ONS data.
Reported byLeft1Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
The Guardian
Center
BBC News, Sky News
Cocaine was mentioned in 1,233 drug poisoning deaths registered in 2025, more than any other single substance, according to ONS figures.
Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
The Guardian
Center
BBC News
Overall drug poisoning deaths fell slightly in 2025 compared with the previous year, according to ONS figures.
Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
The Guardian
Center
BBC News
Cocaine-linked deaths have nearly quadrupled in a decade, according to ONS data.
Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
The Guardian
Center
BBC News
A record 115 ketamine-linked deaths were registered in 2025, almost twice the 2024 number, according to ONS data.
One outletBBC News· Center
Charities said the government must act now to reverse the trend in cocaine deaths.
One outletThe Guardian· Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report that cocaine overtook heroin as the substance most involved in drug deaths registered in England and Wales, citing ONS data. The center outlets report the figures and add a record ketamine toll, while the Guardian leads with charities’ call for government action.

the left
1 outlet
The Guardian report carries the same headline as the BBC, with the description leading on charities’ call for government action against a deadly trend.
Cocaine overtakes heroin as leading cause of drug deaths in England and Wales
The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines
the center
2 outlets
Both center headlines state the shift as a plain data finding, with cocaine overtaking heroin for the first time in England and Wales drug deaths.
Cocaine overtakes heroin as leading cause of drug deaths in England and Wales
BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines
the right
No coverage yet
No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Mantle found no loaded language in this coverage. Every headline and opening was checked against Mantle’s published word list, and Mantle’s AI read all 3 articles in context. Straight reporting often has none.

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

1 outlet

Leads with

Charities calling on government to act now
Cocaine deaths several times higher than a decade ago
Drug deaths remaining historically high

Leaves out

Record ketamine-linked deaths
Regional inequality in drug death rates

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

The GuardianLeft
Cocaine overtakes heroin as leading cause of drug deaths in England and Wales
Charities say government ‘must act now’ with cocaine-specific deaths eight times higher than in 2010 Cocaine has overtaken heroin as the biggest cause of drug deaths in England and Wales, figures from the Office for National Statistics show. …
3 hr agoRead at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

Cocaine overtaking heroin as the top substance
ONS registration figures
Record ketamine-linked deaths

Leaves out

Charities’ call for government action
Growing crime linked to cocaine reported by the Guardian

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

BBC NewsCenter
Cocaine overtakes heroin as leading cause of drug deaths in England and Wales
The number of deaths linked to cocaine use in England and Wales has nearly quadrupled in a decade.
56 min agoRead at BBC News (opens in a new tab)
Sky NewsCenter
Cocaine-related deaths overtake heroin for first time in England and Wales
Cocaine has overtaken heroin as the substance most often involved in drug-related deaths registered in England and Wales, according to new data.
7 hr agoRead at Sky News (opens in a new tab)

From the right

0 outlets

No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

Left
3 hr 49 min later
Its first report, Nov 4, 10:09 AM EST
Center
First to report
Sky News, Nov 4, 6:20 AM EST
Right
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

Sky NewsCenterNov 4, 6:20 AM EST
The GuardianLeftNov 4, 10:09 AM EST
BBC NewsCenterNov 4, 12:58 PM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Cocaine overtakes heroin as most common substance in England and Wales drug deaths

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

Side by side

From the left

Cocaine overtakes heroin as leading cause of drug deaths in England and Wales

From the center

Cocaine overtakes heroin as leading cause of drug deaths in England and Wales

Cocaine-related deaths overtake heroin for first time in England and Wales

From the right

How the coverage built up

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