Pubdate: Mon, 10 Jan 2005
Source: Times, The (UK)
Copyright: 2005 Times Newspapers Ltd
Contact:  http://www.the-times.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/454
Author: Richard Ford, Home Correspondent
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/area/United+Kingdom
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?207 (Cannabis - United Kingdom)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)

COCAINE CHEAPER THAN CUP OF COFFEE

AS EVEN greater quantities of illegal drugs flooded on to the market
last year, the price of many, including cocaine, Ecstasy, heroin and
cannabis, fell to a record low. A line of cocaine is now cheaper than
many high-street cups of coffee.

Despite the Government's strategy of concentrating resources on
fighting the use of hard drugs rather than soft drugs, the collapse in
street prices indicates that it has so far had little success in
curbing supplies or undermining drug dealing networks throughout the
country.

Latest figures show that the price of cocaine is as low as UKP39 a gram
in the North East, compared with UKP47 a gram in East Anglia, the most
expensive region for the drug. Many users pay less than UKP40 a gram
which is enough for about 20 lines, each of which provides a high for
about 20 minutes.

The price of Ecstasy has fallen by 70 per cent in the past ten years
to UKP3.50 a pill, according to the survey by the Independent Drugs
Monitoring Unit, but in some parts of the country tablets are sold for
as little as UKP2 -- well below the cost of a pint of beer. Heroin prices
fell to UKP26 a gram compared with UKP83 a gram in 1995, and cannabis to
UKP9.85 a gram compared with UKP20 a gram in 1995.

The study surveyed 2,056 people at music festivals and concerts last
year and found that cannabis is the most widely used drug, with a
market worth almost UKP1 billion a year.

Cocaine remains the second most popular drug with an estimated 237,000
frequent users.

Drug users are spending huge amounts to feed their habit. A regular
cocaine user will spend almost UKP170 a month; a crack cocaine user UKP444
a month; heroin user UKP447 a month; cannabis user UKP86 a month and an
Ecstasy user almost UKP40 a month.

David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, said last night: "The fact
that hard drugs are now cheaper than a coffee reflects government
failure at several levels: failure to control our borders; failure to
police drug crime properly and failure to give the right signals to
youngsters with the liberalisation of so-called soft drugs.

"It is time that the Government got a grip of this and acted to arrest
the failure that has led to a doubling of drug use since 1997.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake