"In 2011 there were 1,605 drug misuse deaths. The number of male deaths decreased by 14 per cent from 1,382 in 2010 to 1,192 in 2011. However over the same period the number of female deaths rose by 3 per cent from 402 to 413 (Table 1).
"Since 1993 there has been an upward trend in the proportion of drug poisoning deaths that were related to drug misuse for both males and females. In males this proportion peaked in 2010 at 73 per cent, but went down to 67 per cent in 2011. In females, this proportion peaked in 2008 at 51 per cent, but has since dropped slightly, and remains stable at around 47 per cent."

Source

"Statistical Bulletin: Deaths Related to Drug Poisoning in England and Wales, 2011" (London, England: Office for National Statistics, Aug 29, 2012), p. 7.
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp…