Pubdate: Sun, 05 Mar 2006
Source: Independent on Sunday (UK)
Copyright: Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.independent.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/208
Author: Sophie Goodchild
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)

LONDON IS WORLD'S COCAINE CAPITAL

Tumbling prices and the lack of stigma attached to the drug have led 
to soaring use at every level of society

By Sophie Goodchild, Chief Reporter

Cocaine is replacing ecstasy as the drug of choice on the club scene 
for the first time, with record numbers of young people snorting the 
powder for as little as UKP30 a gram.

Now widely affordable, cocaine has soared in popularity among the 
Ibiza set with more than three-quarters saying they have taken the 
drug, compared with only half last year. In contrast, there has only 
been a small percentage rise in the number of users of ecstasy, which 
once dominated the club scene.

The cost of cocaine has nearly halved over the past decade, which has 
also given rise to an alarming trend in bingeing on the drug. Nearly 
one in 10 people in their twenties who go to clubs admit to taking 
two grams in a session - the equivalent of 40 lines.

These figures are based on a survey of more than 2,000 regular 
club-goers across the country, ranging from students to civil 
servants, carried out by the magazine Mixmag, seen as the clubbers' Bible.

They demonstrate that the drug is no longer used just by overpaid 
footballers and celebrities, but now touches every section of UK 
society. An investigation by The Independent on Sunday has found that 
dealers are openly selling it almost anywhere in London, from pubs to 
restaurant toilets.

London is now the cocaine capital of the world, according to experts. 
A UN report revealed last week that one in 50 people have used 
cocaine in Britain - a higher figure than anywhere else in the world, 
including countries such as the US.

There is huge concern among ministers and teachers about teenagers 
becoming hooked on the drug. In one case, four teenage girls were 
expelled from a school in West Sussex for snorting the drug in the 
toilets before lessons. Police gave two a warning after being alerted 
by staff at Holy Trinity School in Gossops Green, Crawley.

In response to the explosion in cocaine use, Scotland Yard has taken 
the unprecedented step of using undercover officers to pose as drug 
suppliers in a bid to target recreational users.

Clubs, keen to avoid getting labelled as magnets for drug users, have 
introduced special amnesty bins in a bid to encourage people to hand 
over their drugs, without fear of police action, before a night out.

Nick Stevenson from Mixmag said that the fact cocaine was almost half 
the price it was nearly a decade ago was a major factor in its 
popularity among people, law-abiding in every other aspect of their lives.

"This not some dirty subculture. Our readers are everyone who likes 
music, from students to civil servants," he said.

"There is no longer the stigma there might have been with the drug 
and the price means it's not just the preserve of rock stars."

Drugs education charities are warning that urgent action is needed so 
that recreational users are made aware of the dangers. Cocaine is a 
class A drug that can cause anxiety, a rise in blood pressure and 
heart problems, as well as long-term addiction.

Tony D'Agostino, from the group Conference on Crack and Cocaine 
(Coca), said one alarming trend was for people to convert cocaine 
into crack using baking powder, a process known as "washing up". 
"Cocaine is now literally everywhere and more needs to be done so 
that users can get support," he said.

The Mixmag survey, regarded as a reliable indicator of drug trends by 
police and lawyers, also found that ketamine and Viagra were 
increasing in popularity. More than a third of young people said they 
had used ketamine in the past month and nearly a quarter had used 
Viagra as a stimulant.

COKE UK

750,000 PEOPLE IN the United Kingdom are estimated to use cocaine 
annually, according to Home Office figures.

UKP30 IS THE average price for a gram of cocaine on the street. 
That's down UKP30 in five years, according to a survey by dance music 
magazine Mixmag.

100 PEOPLE DIE in Britain every year as a direct result of cocaine use.

UKP200bn IS THE estimated annual value of the world market for cocaine.

25% OF HEART attacks among those aged between 18 and 45 in the UK are 
attributed to the use of cocaine.

20,000 TONS OF cocaine were seized by UK Customs officers during 2004.

20 LINES of cocaine are what users will "chop" from each gram. A 
third of users will go through a gram in one session, according to 
the Mixmag survey.
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