Drug advisors warn of 'deeply concerning' cocaine figures

Drug advisors warn of 'deeply concerning' cocaine figures which show 65 per cent rise for under-18s

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Tuesday, 02, Mar 2010 12:50

By Sarah Garrod.

Cocaine use in the UK is rising at an alarming rate, with the number of under-18s treated for addiction up 65 per cent, drug advisors have said today.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) said that amongst 16 to 59-year-olds the use of cocaine had increased five-fold in the last 12 years and warned that such a jump was "deeply concerning".

The head of the ACMD, Professor Les Iversen, has written to the home secretary, Alan Johnson, to say urgent action is needed to "counteract the increasingly common misapprehension that cocaine is a relatively safe drug".

Prof Iversen wrote: "Cocaine is a very harmful drug to individuals and more broadly society and evidence of the continued increasing prevalence of cocaine use is deeply concerning.

"The British Crime Survey reports that cocaine use among 16-59 year olds has increased from 0.6 per cent in 1996 to three per cent in 2008/09 (2.4 per cent in 2007/08). The increase in use is sharper among 16-24 year olds from 1.3 per cent in 1996 to 6.6 per cent in 2008/09 (5.5 per cent in 2007/08)."

Prof Iversen - whose predecessor Professor David Nutt was sacked last year for criticising the government's drug policy - said cocaine must remain a Class A drug.

Yesterday the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTASM) said one in ten drug users entering treatment in England are seeking help for addiction to powder cocaine, a rise of four per cent in four years.

The report went on to say more than a third of them are aged 18-24, and they are "much more likely to come from a broad range of social backgrounds than the typical heroin users who traditionally form the majority of those in treatment".

"More people are using powder cocaine, more people are seeking help for dependency, and more are being successfully treated," said Paul Hayes, NTA chief executive.

"Powder cocaine is a powerful stimulant drug which induces psychological rather than physical dependence. Most users will be treated locally in their communities with talking therapies rather than medication, and our message to users is that if they need help, they can get it and it works."