Bedford local authority · 2022/23

Opiate and crack use

14.1

Estimated users per 1,000 people aged 15 to 64.

Estimated prevalence of opiate and/or crack cocaine use · Persons, 15-64 yrs

England: 8.5 · 2022/23 — Worse

healthcards · Bedford · 2022/23

What this means

An estimated 14.1 in every 1,000 people aged 15 to 64 in Bedford use opiates and/or crack cocaine — about 1,697 people.

Source population denominator: 120,218 (Persons, 15-64 yrs); this measure is modelled, not a direct count of cases.

Fingertips comparison: Worse England.

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/bedford/cards/opiate-crack-use

Indicator:: Estimated prevalence of opiate and/or crack cocaine use (ID 91117)
Source:: DHSC and UKHSA, opiate and crack cocaine use prevalence estimates 2022 to 2023 (via OHID Fingertips)
Area:: Bedford (E06000055), Upper-tier local authority (post Apr 2023)
Period:: 2022/23; retrieved 2026-10-13 (distinct from reporting period)
Population:: Persons, 15-64 yrs
Note:: Modelled estimate, published every few years.

A modelled estimate of a hidden population, not a count of people identified or in treatment.
Published every few years, not annually — the latest estimate is 2022/23. Confidence interval: 12.5 to 15.3 per 1,000.
Covers opiates and/or crack cocaine only: not all drugs, and not alcohol.
The 2022/23 method changed: earlier estimates must not be directly compared with this release.
Area-level estimate. It says nothing about any individual.
Higher means more estimated opiate and/or crack cocaine use. Not a measure of treatment need or of harm to any person.

Missing or suppressed values are never shown as zero — every card above passed validation with a real numeric value.