London's 74,000 problem cocaine users - News - Evening Standard
       

London's 74,000 problem cocaine users

Britain is the cocaine capital of Europe, the United Nations' Office on Drugs and Crime said today.

There are more than one million regular users, with 74,000 classified as "problem users" living in London - about one person in 100.

The success of a crackdown on traffickers has pushed up prices and led to dealers heavily diluting cocaine. Some drugs seized by police were five per cent pure.

Dealers are mixing cocaine with dental and veterinary anaesthetics that mimic the effects of the drug but are much cheaper. The World Drug Report 2009 revealed that cocaine use increased dramatically in the UK from the mid-Nineties, but has remained stable over the last two years.

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