RESEARCH / VERSION 1.1 / 16 OCTOBER 2026
Six-drug equivalent retail value, England 2024–25
The six-drug subtotal is £12.0bn. Cannabis is excluded.
| Field | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Reference period | August 2024–July 2025 |
| Coverage | England |
| Status | Published estimate |
| Source-check date | 2026-10-16 |
| Measure | Consumption-based equivalent retail value |
| Value | 12 GBP billion |
| Currency / price basis | Source prices; no CLA inflation adjustment |
| Publication date | 2026-04-13 |
| Reference period | August 2024–July 2025 |
| Substances covered | Cocaine (including crack) Ketamine Heroin Amphetamine MDMA Methamphetamine |
| Method | Wastewater consumption model, extrapolation to England, and NCA retail purity and 2025 prices. |
| Estimate family | wand-england-2024-25 |
| Relationship to other estimates | subtotal |
| Earlier estimate repeated / parent | No parent link asserted |
| Component: Cocaine | 9.8 GBP billion |
| Component: Ketamine | 0.9 GBP billion |
| Component: Heroin | 0.3 GBP billion |
| Component: Amphetamine | 0.5 GBP billion |
| Component: MDMA | 0.3 GBP billion |
| Component: Methamphetamine | 0.2 GBP billion |
| Variant / component limit | Components are included in the subtotal; cocaine already includes crack. |
| Uncertainty | The proceeds study reports ±£4.9bn for the subtotal. CLA uses this only as a sensitivity input, not a re-certified UK confidence interval. |
Interpretation limits
Experimental valuation. Purchased, gifted and diverted consumption are not separately established as receipts. Do not extend to other nations without explicit assumptions.
Sources
- Home Office: Wastewater Analysis — Estimating drug consumption — Section 2.2, Table 1; subtotal and aggregate margin in proceeds study section 2.4 Table 2
- Home Office proceeds study — Section 2.4, Table 2: total £12.0bn and published margin
Cite this record
Civil Liberties Action (2026). The illegal drugs economy: Six-drug equivalent retail value, England 2024–25. Record economy-wand-2024-25, version 1.1, 2026-10-16. https://cla-political-finance.copperchime4.chatgpt.site/databases/releases/2026-10-16-v1.1/records/economy/economy-wand-2024-25.html
Open the current interactive record · Dataset findings and methods