Around 2.6 million young people used an illegal drug in past year, charity finds
At aged 13, Nathan had already started dabbling in drugs.
“I was quite young, started smoking weed with other kids at school. But as the year went on I progressed to harder drugs, class As and all the rest of it.
“It just got really messy,” Nathan explained.
Soon, he would be saving up lunch money to score drugs, and using them in the bathroom while his peers were studying in class.
Nathan, now 20, partly blames the music scene for the exposure after witnessing open drug use while gigging as a teen.
But it soon escalated.
“As I progressed outside that scene, I’d be taking, crack, heroin, whatever else I could get, basically,” he said.
Nathan is now clean and has been for more than 17 months.
He realises now that his drug use was never about partying or having fun with friends, instead he used them to cope and self-medicate to avoid the pain life threw at him.
He added: “It was really a lot of hopelessness. What is the point in this? I didn’t like how I was feeling, and I didn’t know how to word what I was feeling either.
“Instead, it was like this is what I’m going through, and I don’t want to share it. That’s when the harder drugs started.
“It was like, well, I will take this one, and I haven’t got to feel anything.”
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Cannabis sweets ‘marketed at kids’
Nathan was one of the lucky ones, he was supported by a charity which addressed his mental health needs, and now has a circle of friends also in recovery, providing a much-needed support network.
But there is fear that for far too many, getting access to drugs is much easier than getting access to mental health services.
‘Extremely worrying’ spike in young people using drugs
According to youth charity The Mix, there has been a 75% increase since 2021 in young people using substances to escape problems in their lives, with one in five users doing just that.
A similar number of young people use substances to help them cope with a mental health issue or emotional distress.
In addition to that, the charity has found a total of one in three young people (aged 16-25) have used an illegal drug in the past 12 months, which equates to around 2.6m people and a 50% increase on last year.
One in three young people have used an illegal drug in the past 12 months, which equates to around 2.6 million people, The Mix says
Over the last 12 months, 17% of young people have used a class A drug within the past 12 months, equating to 1.3 million young people and a 54% increase on last year.
“The spike we have seen in the number of young people facing challenges with substance use in the past year is extremely worrying, and we believe it’s also preventable,” said The Mix’s deputy chief executive Zoe Bailie.
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Ms Bailie highlights the difficulties many young people face when trying to access mental health services across the country, and says this needs to be more accessible to help those in need.
She also highlights the stigma often attached to drug use, and says this can often mean young people are afraid to ask for help, out of fear of judgement.
Ms Bailie added: “We also need to do more to highlight the support that is available, ensuring that it’s accessible before a young person becomes dependent on drugs as a way to cope with life’s problems.”
Patients will be able to get weight loss injections from pharmacies, according to reports.Â
It’s claimed drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro could be available over the counter after a short consultation – at the cost of an NHS prescription.
This would broaden access to these jabs considerably, as the health service currently restricts injections to those regarded as having the highest clinical need.
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Weight loss drugs ‘changing way we see obesity’
At the moment, there is a two-year waiting list for Wegovy on the NHS – and last year, research by Sky News showed the rollout is happening far more slowly than planned.
Thousands of people with severe obesity have been denied access to the treatment, with doctors previously claiming that a “soul-destroying” postcode lottery has emerged.
According to the Daily Mail, a multimillion-pound deal for a pilot scheme will be struck with a pharmaceutical firm, with a view to issuing prescriptions through chemists and health centres.
They would be priced at £9.90 – the same as an NHS prescription – and substantially less than the £150-a-month cost of obtaining these injections privately.
But the reports have been described as “speculative”, with health experts warning obesity drugs must only be used under medical supervision by those who are eligible.
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The weight loss drug that’s ‘too good’
A government spokesperson said: “As the government shifts the NHS from sickness to prevention, we will be looking across the board at how these drugs can be made available to more people who can benefit from them.
“The NHS is already tackling obesity in innovative ways, including through community care models and digital technologies, to help deliver these drugs as part of a rounded package of care.”
Previous estimates from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have suggested that 3.4 million people in England could benefit from weight loss injections.
But last December, NICE said these jabs would only be available to 220,000 patients on the NHS in the first three years – meaning millions of others could end up waiting up to 12 years for treatment.
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‘I need weight loss drug but can’t get it’
Studies show people lose on average 15% of their body weight within months of starting treatment with Wegovy. The drug mimics a natural hormone and people feel fuller faster and for longer.
Obesity costs the NHS £6bn a year and is linked to 200 different diseases.
Half of all obese people with three related problems, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, die within 10 years.
The UK has seen its warmest start to May on record as temperatures soared to over 29C in the spring sunshine.
The Met Office said 29.3C (84.7F) had been recorded at Kew Gardens in southwest London, passing the previous 1 May record of 27.4C (81.3F) set in Lossiemouth in 1990.
Thursday was also the warmest day of the year so far, beating the previous high of 26.7C (80F) reached in Wisley, Surrey, on Wednesday.
Follow latest updates: May record broken
The seafront in Southend-on-Sea. Pic: PA
But the heat is not expected to last for the bank holiday weekend, with cooler weather starting to drift in from the north on Friday.
Temperatures are expected to ease by Friday and Saturday, meaning cooler conditions of 14C to 18C across the UK.
Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesman, said: “Temperatures tomorrow will be slightly reduced from what we’ve seen today, possibly 26 or 27 degrees in the far southeast of England through the day tomorrow.”
What has led to the hot spell?
Forecasters said the hot spell has been due to the jet stream remaining stuck north of the country, allowing high pressure to settle.
Last month was also the sunniest April in the UK since records began in 1910, with 47% more sunshine hours than the long-term meteorological average, and the third warmest April on record, according to provisional Met Office figures.
Rainfall was well below average for most of the UK last month, with just 56% of expected totals recorded.
And Tyne and Wear had its second driest April on record, with only 7% of its usual rainfall.
Boy’s body recovered from lake
Meanwhile, the recovery of a 16-year-old boy’s body from a lake in Nottingham prompted emergency services to warn about swimming in lakes and rivers.
Chief Inspector David Mather, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to highlight this case as a reminder of the devastating consequences of entering open water – regardless of whether people do so deliberately or inadvertently.”
A lifeguard at London Fields Lido in east London. Pic: Reuters
The London Fire Brigade said its crews responded to 565 water-related incidents last year and have already attended around 160 in the first quarter of this year, with incidents ranging from rescuing people to animals stranded on lakes and ponds.
‘Water temperatures can be dangerously cold’
Assistant commissioner for prevention and protection Craig Carter said. “Even when the sun is shining, water temperatures can be dangerously cold. Cold water shock can affect anyone, no matter how fit or experienced they are. It can lead to water inhalation, and, in the worst cases, drowning.”
People enjoy their ice creams during in St James’s Park, London. Pic: PA
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) offered similar warnings, advising those planning to swim at a lifeguarded beach to swim between the red and yellow flags.
Fire services warned that the warm weather means there is a “heightened” risk of grass and wildfires which can spread more easily during the dry spell, as firefighters have been battling what they described as a large wildfire in the Peak District.
The RAC also cautioned drivers on the roads, with spokesman Rod Dennis saying breakdowns are expected to “soar”, while the NHS reported searches for hay fever advice had doubled from Monday to Wednesday.
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