April 20, 2001. Copyright 2001. Graphic News. All rights reserved.

Four in ten British teenagers have tried cocaine Ð survey shows

LONDON, April 20, Graphic News: A new drug epidemic is sweeping Britain as teenagers, already the heaviest drinkers among young Europeans, bypass ÒsoftÓ drugs for cocaine and crack, according to a survey published Thursday.

The survey, conducted by The Face magazine, showed cocaine use was starting at an increasingly early age as the drug -- once fashionable among celebrities -- became cheaper and more widely available.

Face editor Johnny Davis said: ÒThe cocaine survey was conducted following a recent government reportÕs findings that Brits were the worst teenage abusers of drink, cigarettes and drugs in Europe.Ó

Brighton topped the survey as the UKÕs hot spot for cocaine use, with as many as 86 percent of the cityÕs teenagers saying they had tried the drug. 

Face said four in ten young people who took part in the survey used cocaine as a recreational drug and many consumed its fiercely addictive sister drug crack, giving Britain one of the highest drug abuse rates among young people in Europe.

Face said the UK as a whole consumed 25 tonnes of cocaine a year, with between 100 and 200 drug dealers operating at some level in every town.

Cocaine is sold in grams, and the survey showed that the cheapest gram could be bought in London for as little as £10. The most expensive gram was priced at £100 and found in Leeds. 

Frazer McEwen, director of services for Addiction in Brighton, said he was not surprised by the findings. 

ÒDrug use in Brighton is significant on many levels but as far as the issue of cocaine and crack cocaine are concerned itÕs very difficult to monitor -- because of the nature of the drug itself people do not present [themselves] to drug services unless they are in crisis.Ó 

The survey, which used a sample of 1,000 16-25-year olds across Britain, showed many young cocaine users did not consider cocaine a Class A drug, and that seven out of ten Scottish respondents believed it to be less dangerous than so-called ÒpartyÓ drug Ecstasy.
/ENDS
Sources: Reuters, The Face