cocaine - search results

[…] 2013, page 15). ‘I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing,’ he says. ‘There have been suggestions that falls in the number of cocaine deaths could be attributed to people using mephedrone instead – perhaps it’s a safer stimulant. But because mortality monitoring is so unregulated, and because the hospital […]

[…] World at One on BBC Radio 4 to promote the book and explained how writing kept him ‘connected’ to part of himself during his 20-year struggle with cocaine and heroin addiction. ‘Poetry helps me to be able to express myself with some of the things that I struggled with, some of the dark parts […]

[…] of people entering substance misuse treatment in England smoked tobacco. In the 2016 NDTMS report, 45 per cent of people treated for illicit opioid use smoked crack cocaine and 17 per cent smoked cannabis (Hulin, 2019). Despite the high levels of smoking, only 2 per cent of people were recorded as having been offered […]

[…] says YouGov.  The figures are even higher  among Labour voters, with 76 per  cent believing that the government  isn’t doing enough to tvackle  addiction issues and 70v per cent  that the government is failing  to reduce drug-related harm.  Among those surveyed overall, 7  per cent reported having had an  addiction problem themselves, with  b0 and bb per cent respectively  reporting that they’d had a  friend or family member with a v problem. While less than a vfifth  believed that criminalisation of  people who used drvugs was the  right approach, there was little  support for decriminalisation of  most drugs. Although  45 per cent supported  the decriminalisation of  cannabis and 28 pevr cent  magic mushrooms, just  b7 per cent supported  decriminalising MDMA  and b5 per cent  cocaine.  The figures for heroin  and crack cocaine were  bb and b0 per cent  respectively. More than half  of respondents, however,  backed the introduction of  consumption rooms, with  just a quarter stating that  they were actively opposed.  This reflects the findings  of a separate poll of b,500  people carried outv by Redfield and  Wilton Strategies on behalf ovf the  APPG for Drug Policy Reform, which  found that 49 per cent supported  overdose prevention centres. The  poll also revealed that more than 60  per cent supported drug checking v facilities at festivals and 67 per  cent supported naloxone provision,  while the most popular outcome  for people found in possessionv  of small quantities of drugs was  education or treatment rather than  prosecution.  The Redfield and Wilson results  […]

[…] drugs. Although 45 per cent supported the decriminalisation of cannabis and 28 per cent magic mushrooms, just 17 per cent supported decriminalising MDMA and 15 per cent cocaine. The figures for heroin and crack cocaine were 11 and 10 per cent respectively. More than half of respondents, however, backed the introduction of consumption rooms, […]

[…] support – Leo’s story I didn’t pick up my first drink until the age of 20 but from that point, I drank very heavily. In the mid-1990s, cocaine became part of my story as well and the consequences started to kick in. By 2000, I was completely out of control, barely hanging on to […]

[…] and morphine). This is 4.8% higher than in 2019 (2,160 deaths) and 48.2% higher than in 2010 (1,527 deaths). There has also been a five-fold increase in cocaine-related deaths since 2010 – with 777 drug poisoning deaths registered in 2020 involving cocaine, compared with 144 such deaths registered in 2010. There are also increasing […]

[…] of deaths, and men accounted for more than two thirds of overall deaths. While just under half of fatalities involved an opiate, the number of deaths involving cocaine was up by almost 10 per cent to 777 – more than five times the figure from a decade ago. The rate of drug poisoning deaths in […]

[…] – butr it could reinforce existing values and beliefs and serve up scapegoats. Through the vampire images of heroin users from the 1920s, the Reefer Madness and Cocaine Fiends films of the 1930sr, and the political rcampaigns focusing on drug use as a morral weabness, there was an individual parthology narrative that hadn’t changed […]

[…] overdue.’ Meanwhile, the latest ONS figures show no change in overall drug use or class A drug use in England and Wales over the last year. Powder cocaine continues to be the second most commonly used drug after cannabis, although the proportion of frequent users fell from 14.4 per cent to 8.7 per cent. […]

[…] research has moved on and taken over from anecdote. However, let’s not dismiss the value of experience either. There are well over a thousand Narcotics Anonymous and Cocaine Anonymous meetings in the UK every week. They are full of clean and sober recovering addicts. Each individual’s personal experience of recovery is a powerful reminder […]

[…] about the consequences of the Scots’ Benzo policy that has encouraged a huge black market? What about the teens in the M25 corridor who are learning about cocaine – how long before they learn about how, to quote Lou Reed, ‘Valium would have helped that crash’, and that uppers are always followed by downers? […]

[…] In particular, the HIV prevalence has been rising since 2002 among those who have been injecting for less than three years. Increasing evidence suggests that injecting crack cocaine is a major factor. The report also found that while levels of HIV remain high among current IDUs in London, with around one in 25 infected, […]

[…] UK has severe drug problems compared to most other European countries, coupled with some of the most stringent penalties for drug possession and supply. Escalating heroin and cocaine problems have contributed to a ranking of the second-highest rate of drug-related deaths in Europe. The charity has declared that it is committed to seeking a […]

[…] had used some form of drug. The Irish Times, 2 March Cr ystal meth is becoming more widely available in London, according to a judge. Mixed with cocaine and skunk many people are unaware that they are taking it, which may be an attempt to get people hooked, says District Judge, Justin Phillips. Sitting […]

[…] as few errors as they could. Ever y completed challenge earned points, and used different Ben ‘It showed me ways of enjoying myself without taking cannabis or cocaine’ I found it really exciting. It was interesting learning new skills and I liked the teamwork. I feel I've achieved something and learnt things I wouldn't […]

[…] – a consequent reduction of the 80,000 annual tobacco-related deaths by 4,000. By comparison, around 1,000 deaths a year are estimated to be attributable to heroin or cocaine, and research published in The Lancetrated tobacco as the most harmful of all drugs for ‘chronic physical harm’ (DDN, 6 October, page 6).Smuggled tobacco products are […]

[…] few years, tackling the problem of synthetic drug manufacture and use will pose problems that are very different from those associated with plant based drugs like heroin, cocaine and cannabis, says the report. One is difficulty of measurement, as there are no cultivated fields visible from the air, another is the ease with which […]

[…] a 16 per cent increase in fatalities involving heroin and morphine and a 35 per cent increase in deaths involving methadone on the previous year. Deaths involving cocaine and amphetamines also rose, and the DAT areas of Blackpool, Brighton and Hove and Camden have consistently had the highest drug misuse mortality rates. According to […]

[…] Teeside will be dressing up as support worker Snow White, drug dealer the wicked witch and seven dwarves Moody (steroids),Stoney (cannabis), Easy (ecstasy), Speedy (amphetamines), Snorty ( cocaine), Dizzy (alcohol) and Snoozy (prescription drugs). ‘We thought that by giving the Snow White story a thought-provoking twist more young people would take note of important […]

[…] that drugs have become more difficult to obtain’. Specific policies against drug production usually served to move the problem elsewhere, it says, such as the shifting of cocaine production from Bolivia and Peru to Columbia. Harm reduction, however, though still controversial in some countries, was finding ‘wider acceptance’. The report looked at the period […]

[…] their own cycle of addition. A campaign film and a series of posters can be viewed at www.whatdoyouknowcampaign.blog spot.com Decriminalisation plan Think tank Transform has suggested that cocaine could be sold in pharmacies and cannabis in coffee shops as part of a scheme to decriminalise drugs, while reducing crime and improving health. A new […]

[…] – success under any name is a triumph "Evidence for controlled heroin use "A road less travelled – Sweden’s pursuit of abstinence "The other side of the cocaine route – saving lives in Jamaica "Approaches to addiction series 5: Psychodynamic approaches to addiction Drugs And Alcohol Todayaims to bring readers the best in new […]

[…] herself with a glamorous career as a successful model, which opened up opportunities as a TV presenter. Alongside the lifestyle and heavy drinking she developed a serious cocaine habit, ‘mainly to keep awake as I was also running a nightclub. I had too many jobs, too much money and not enough time in the […]

[…] 15 as we could get into pubs. I left boarding school and went to college for about a year. There, I started smoking cannabis. This led to cocaine use, but I never felt I was addicted. I started taking pills in my late teens too, but my drinking was not an issue at that […]

[…] to support recovery and reintegration, as well as personalised, needs-driven treatment that addresses all kinds of drug use and poly drug use, not just heroin and crack cocaine. ‘Alcohol treatment should be available to all who need it,’ it states. ‘Decision-makers and opinion formers have a responsibility to make sure that taxpayers' money is […]

[…] blunt to just put it out there, but I had 3 failed attempts at ending my life. The route of these attempts was a severe addiction to cocaine. I had been using some form of stimulant from the age of 16 where I was supplied with vitamins as a professional rugby player. My game […]

[…] to the Crime and justice survey 2008-09on self-reported ‘last month, last year and lifetime’ use of drugs. Use of cannabis was declining, according to the survey, but cocaine use – after cannabis, the most commonly reported drug used in the month and year prior to the interview – had remained stable. The survey also […]

[…] the  ‘evil  dealers’  who  sell  them.  Since  cannabis  can unpredictably  send  you  mad  for  life,  I  can’t  see  why  it  is  any  less serious  than  heroin  or  cocaine.  But  if  the  authorities  have  been ‘freed up’, they haven’t taken much advantage of their freedom. Peter Hitchens,  Mail on Sunday, 3 September Here is just one small emblem of the ignorance or callousness of current  policy  making.  Yesterday’s  public  accounts  committee report warns of chaos in the new universal credit for families. In the  fantasy  realm  of  this  policy,  b0  per  […]

[…] also had a handy article a few days ago called ‘How to legalise every drug’. Here, Steve Rolles of Transform pops up to tell us that for cocaine, for example, a ‘licensed user pharmacy’ model would be the best option. Steve Rolles of Transform Drug Policy Foundation proposes a ‘licensed user pharmacy’ arrangement for […]

[…] a mean age of 29. Sixty per cent said they went clubbing at least four times a year. Of the 20,000 people who completed the section on cocaine use, less than 9 per cent reported using the drug on a weekly basis, but 65 per cent said they’d used it up to ten times […]

[…] from ‘brilliant’ to ‘reading this has ruined my day’.   JUNE EMCDDA’s annual European drug report identifies the UK as among the biggest consumers in a ‘buoyant’ cocaine market, with purity levels at their highest for a decade, while Kevin Flemen wonders in DDN if the recent growth in crack use indicates a move […]

[…] are invested in well-targeted activities of proven effectiveness.’ The report also highlights ‘an increasingly complex’ stimulant market with a ‘wide variety of powders and pills’, and where cocaine, amphetamines and ecstasy increasingly compete with new synthetic drugs. These continue to be reported at the rate of around one per week, with more than 50 […]

[…] 40-49 age group. Although deaths from ‘most opioids’ have remained steady, fentanyl-related deaths have continued to rise – to 75, from 58 in 2016 – while deaths related to cocaine have now increased for six consecutive years. There were 432 cocaine-related deaths in 2017, up from 371 the previous year. The number of deaths related to […]

[…] The loss of expertise is one of the many things that bothers him. Gone are the days of specialist services for different substances. Everything – including alcohol, cocaine and stimulants, which would have had specific services a short time ago – is combined into the same service, which ‘can be a problem if people […]

[…] or barn, where a generator pumps electronic music. The larger parties can go on for three days as long as the police don’t come. Partygoers often use cocaine, MDMA, LSD or ketamine, with the combination of cocaine and ketamine (CK) becoming increasingly popular. The ketamine is snorted in quantities that vary from person to […]

[…] clearly the group most at risk of encountering fentanyls. However, they have cropped up in place of other products including benzodiazepines and stimulants such as MDMA or cocaine in the UK and Europe, and sold internationally mixed with crack cocaine. Becoming more widespread could impact not solely on heroin users, but people using any […]

[…] will not be sympathetic Scottish Government ministers, but sceptical European legal experts. Neil McKeganey, Scotsman, 7 September A mother who paid £300 for a dozen packets of cocaine as a birthday present for her daughter’s 18th has been spared jail. Nicola Austen, 37, with six previous drugs convictions, expected to be sent to prison […]

[…] The aim is to educate people to make their own choices, says the charity. ‘Substances that are taken in a predominantly recreational context, like novel psychoactive substances, cocaine, steroids and alcohol, place a heavy burden on the health system,’ said director of operations for substance misuse, Jay Stewart. ‘This new guide aims to provide […]

[…] taking their eye off the ball when it comes to steroids? ‘I don’t think so,’ he states. ‘I think the movement away from just opiates and crack cocaine to this much wider area encompassing both enhancement drugs and the novel psychoactives isn’t to the detriment of either. It’s important that we don’t take our […]

[…] people. ‘With the right support from local authorities, the NHS and other partners, specialist substance misuse services can continue to focus on what they do best: ensuring that young people who need  help get it quickly and that they receive appropriate, personalised support,’  said PHE.  News CQC CONSULTATION THE CARE QUALITY COMMISSION is consulting on its proposed changes to the way substance misuse services are regulated. The proposals aim to make sure that services are ‘safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well-led’ (DDN, October b014, page 4). The consultation is open until 19 March, with the new regime due to start from April. bonsultation link at www.cqc.org.uk  MOBILE DRUG TESTS THE FIRST MOBILE DRUb-TESTINb device has been granted type approval and is available for purchase by UK police forces. The Securetec DrugWipe 3S – known as ‘Drugwipe’ – can detect the presence of cocaine or cannabis within eight minutes by analysing saliva, after which those testing positive can be taken to the police station for a blood test. ‘Drug drivers are a deadly menace and must be stopped,’ said policing minister Mike Penning. ‘Those who get behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs not only put their own lives at risk, but also those of innocent pedestrians, motorists and their passengers.’ PLAIN TOBACCO PACKAGING THE bOVERNMENT has announced that it backs the case for standardised packaging for tobacco products, with MPs set to vote on the issue before the election. If passed, the regulations could be in place by May next year, bringing the ‘prospect of our first smoke-free generation one step closer’ according to public health minister Jane Ellison.  DRINKS INDUSTRY UNTRUSTWORTbY THE DRINKS INDUSTRY ‘can’t be trusted’ to promote safer drinking and is ‘undermining its own pledges’ to encourage it, according to […]

[…] first entered treatment at 19, the beginning of a long period of being ‘in and out’ of services, he says. ‘Once I started using heroin and crack cocaine it was initially a matter of me saying, “I can stop if I want to stop” but it soon became apparent that it wasn’t going to […]

[…] is this the age of the young puritan?’ asked the Guardian last month. ‘Why drugs are no longer cool: teenagers are internet addicts while their parents snort cocaine,’ offered the Telegraph. The Health and Social Care Information Centre’s latest figures on falling rates of drug and drink consumption among secondary school pupils (see news […]

[…] the UK Health Security Agency. And drug-poisoning deaths have hit the highest level in 30 years – fuelled by a 30 per cent rise in fatalities involving cocaine and the introduction of synthetic opioids such as nitazenes into the drug supply (DDN, November, page 4). For the London Borough of Hackney, an area with […]

[…] name is Bobby and I’m an addict. I’m 42, originally from East London, and I work as a recovery and dependency practitioner. After a 20-year battle with cocaine addiction, which ended with my using drugs every single day against my own will, I’m pleased to say that thanks to regularly attending 12-step meetings, getting […]

[…] Oregon’s drug policy attracted national and international attention Oregon’s landmark Measure 110, which was passed in November 2020, made the personal possession of all drugs including heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine subject to no more than a $100 fine (https://www.drinkanddrugsnews.com/campaigners-hail-monumental-victory-for-us-drug-policy-reform/). However, new legislation has been signed off by the state’s governor, Tina Kotek, recriminalising drug […]