cocaine - search results

[…] year, according to a survey by the Independent Drug Monitoring Unit (IDMU). There has been a sharp increase in prices for all varieties of cannabis, while wholesale cocaine prices have increased by around 50 per cent at import level. Although street cocaine prices have remained relatively stable, ‘single- figure’ purity is now common in […]

[…] f fu un nd de ed d b by y a ad dv ve er rt ti is si in ng g. . www.drinkanddrugsnews.com Cutting cravings A cocaine vaccine that uses the immune system to help block the drug's effects worked in 38 per cent of subjects, according to researchers at the Baylor College […]

[…] Welsh, all of whom have publicly disclosed drug use. If we turn to politics, Bill Clinton famously didn’t inhale, David Cameron refuses to deny allegations of past cocaine use and I’d rather see George Bush back abusing alcohol than as the teetotal ‘leader of the free world’ happy to wage wars because ‘God told […]

[…] other family members – including younger brothers and sisters, who can go on to develop drug problems themselves, says author Marina Barnard. Interviews with heroin and crack cocaine users revealed the extent to which families can be affected by stress from family rows; neglect of other family members as the drug user absorbs the […]

[…] in urban and holiday areas, but the figure of nearly 50 arrests was consistent with the rest of the countr y, police said. BBC News, 7 March Cocaine is replacing ecstasy as clubbers’ drug of choice. With prices as low as £30 a gram, record numbers of young people are snor ting the drug; […]

[…] DRUG AND A LCOHOL PROFESSIONALS Published by On behalf of News | Round-up www.drinkanddrugs.net 4| drinkanddrugsnews | 13 June 2005 Yo rkshire research scientist Dr Deborah Rathbone is developing a por table sensor device that can identify and trace tiny par ticles of heroin and  cocaine by ‘hoovering’ the air around a suspect. Apar t from hoovering people, Ms Rathbone said the device could also be used on cars at roadside checkpoints, suitcases at airpor ts and container lorries. The detector will be much more sensitive than sniffer dogs, and since it is por table it could be used to catch drug smugglers at any border. Yo r kshire Evening Post, 8 June Researchers have identified a critical gene that appears to control craving and relapse behaviour in heroin addicts. By examining the neurons of heroin-hooked rats, IvanDiamond and colleagues at CV Therapeutics […]

[…] cent to 8.4 per cent since 2011-12, says Drug misuse: findings from the 2017-18 crime survey for England and Wales, ‘mainly driven by an increase in powder cocaine and ecstasy use’. Ecstasy use among young people has increased Around 875,000 people had used powder cocaine in the previous year, more than 360,000 of them […]

[…] ● The provision of Naloxone for users ● Blood Borne Viruses ● The role of Prisons in reducing BBV and reducing overdose deaths ● Polydrug use ● Cocaine related deaths ● Overdose prevention ● Debate: what impact will an increase emphasis on abstinence services have on Drug-Related Deaths? All abstracts and presentation papers should […]

[…] in the sex industry, gay men. But at the end of the day, PIED users are injecting drug users, and a very large proportion are also using cocaine, for example. We need to keep it on the political agenda.’ Image pressure drives gay men to steroid use Around ten per cent of gay men […]

[…] was carried out in the foyer in full public view. Campus staff were directed to a side entrance. Milford and West Wales Mercur y, 20 Januar y Cocaine rats Tests on rats have given scientists new clues on cocaine cravings. The study in Nature Neuroscience says the danger period kicks in after long periods […]

[…] it adds, with launderers establishing a ‘parallel underground financial systeb’ and using ‘any beans to infiltrate and underbine Europe’s econobies and societiesu’. Global banufacture and seizures of cocaine rebain at record levels (DDN , July/August 2019, page 5), with purity of the druug at retail level also the highest ever recorded. More cribinal networks […]

[…] contaminants found in illicit drugs. Although adulterants are ‘routinely’ found, these are likely to be benign, it states. The report studied a range of drugs including heroin, cocaine, crack, amphetamine, ecstasy, cannabis and ketamine, and found that drugs were more likely to be adulterated with sugars or substances that would ‘enhance or mimic the […]

[…] included damage from drug-induced crime. When graded by panels of experts using thenew system, 20 drugs were given scores for their overall harm rating. While heroin and cocaine were still at the top of the table, the exercise turned many current perceptions on their head by moving alcohol and tobacco towards the top of […]

[…] was carried out in the foyer in full public view. Campus staff were directed to a side entrance. Milford and West Wales Mercur y, 20 Januar y Cocaine rats Tests on rats have given scientists new clues on cocaine cravings. The study in Nature Neuroscience says the danger period kicks in after long periods […]

A new EU-wide ‘roadmap’ has been adopted to tackle drug trafficking and criminal networks, the European Commission has announced. Seizures of cocaine in the EU are at an all-time high, with more than 300 tonnes seized in 2021 (https://www.drinkanddrugsnews.com/record-cocaine-seizures-across-europe/), the most recent year for which figures are available. More and more cocaine is also […]

[…] allowable items; ascorbic acid will be added, as evidence to the ACMD showed it is more likely to be used by those who inject crack or freebase cocaine. Specialist nurses to prescribe wider range of drugs Finding the user’s voice Cover story | Advocacy www.drinkanddrugs.net 6| drinkanddrugsnews| 31 October 2005 On a Saturday morning […]

[…] and London. 10‘I just wanted to fit in’ Alan explores his past for reasons why he turned to drink and drugs and remembers the revelation of discovering Cocaine Anonymous – his first taste of recover y. 12 Working lives Rehan Tariq shares his experience as a senior drug worker in Luton’s Asian community. 13 […]

[…] the lifestyle; it gave my life meaning where there was little meaning – and the drugs were a buzz. People don’t realise the thrill of speed or cocaine. They don’t generally appreciate the euphoria of good heroin. They do not understand our ability to control the way we feel – and for some, the […]

[…] aim of the unit is to make sure that criminals do not profit from drug dealing. Early successes during the two-month trial period have included hauls of cocaine worth an estimated street value of £9,039,040; crack cocaine worth £71,250; heroin worth £176,000 and cannabis worth £200,000. Ofcom steers drink ads away from youth culture […]

[…] Enright was objecting to the isolated initiative, in view of the lack of treatment and counselling ser vices in prisons. Irish Times, 1 Januar y Dr Motivator Cocaine and heroin users can be motivated to reduce their drug use, through meeting with an addiction peer counsellor just once at the time of a routine […]

[…] United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). PRELAC, a three-year partnership project with the European Commission to address the trafficking of chemicals used to manufacture heroin, cocaine, amphetamines and ecstasy, will aim to ‘strengthen the capacities of national administrative control authorities toprevent the diversion of precursor chemicals,’ states UNODC – particularly to Latin […]

Aggressive marketing by dealers and a change in attitudes towards the drug were among the reasons for increasing levels of crack cocaine use in England, according to a new investigative report from Public Health England (PHE) and the Home Office. Crack has become increasingly available and affordable in recent years, following a surge in […]

[…] the public who need it,’ said chief executive Paul Hayes. Mr Winehouse made the claim while giving evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee’s enquiry into the cocaine trade. The committee also heard from ACMD chair Prof David Nutt, who warned that ketamine may need to be re-classified from its class C status because […]

[…] international norms have been breached. (p.60) The historic failure of attempts to reduce drug trafficking (and related money laundering), explaining why they will not be any more effective in thefuture:  Over the past 10-15 years, despite inter ventions at ever y point in the supply chain, cocaine and heroin consumption has been rising, prices falling and drugs have continued tor each users. Government inter ventions against the drugb usiness are a cost of […]

[…] economic argument for offering methadone maintenance. REGULARS 4 NEWS ROUND-UP Scots look to tough new drink measures • South America sees sharp rise in coca cultivation • Cocaine is drug most children know • Service users call for more support for families • Chief executive leaves FDAP • Safer drinking campaign • News in […]

Crack paraphernalia There has been a 23 per cent increase in the number of people seeking treatment for crack cocaine, from 2,980 to 3,657, according to the latest figures from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS). The number presenting with combined crack and opiate problems was also up by 12 per cent, to […]

[…] a pathway to paid employment – and a source of highly valued staff for the organisation, says Eoin Bolger. When Billy got arrested with five kilos of cocaine on the M5 in 2019, he could never have imaged that four years later he would be using his experience to support others as a recovery […]

[…] both; a choice. The debate’s wording is not proposing that we disinvest in harm reduction ser vices. We desperately need more ser vices for alcohol and crack cocaine. But disinvesting in abstinence ser vices andshoving all our money into harm reduction would be a terrible derogation. Would we tell people in this room who […]

[…] The New Musical Express sparked a reaction this week by its choice of ‘Cool Icon’ of 2004. Pete Doherty, dispatched from The Libertines for his continued crack cocaine and heroin addiction, topped the magazine’s top 20 list of music stars who embodied the concept of ‘cool’. The NME rejected any suggestion that Doherty’s selection […]

[…] and had brought cannabis use down sharply. Opiate use remained steadier, at around 4 per cent in the last few years. There was little indication of crack cocaine use, nor amphetamines – ‘people don’t want to heighten the experience, but deaden it,’ he said. Mr Wheatley was pleased that needle exchanges had been kept […]

[…] never, for instance, defined ‘drug-related crime’ it says, and there is no published methodology for measuring it. Among the briefing’s counter-statistics are that the reported use of cocaine powder among 16 to 24-year-olds has almost doubled in the last ten years – from 3.1 per cent to 6 per cent, while the proportion of […]

[…] New Musical Express sparked a r eaction this week by its choice of ‘Cool Icon’ of 2004. Pete Doherty, dispatched from The Libertines for his continued crack cocaine and heroin addiction, topped the magazine’s top 20 list of music stars who embodied the concept of ‘cool’. The NME r ejected any suggestion that Doherty’s […]

The number of people starting treatment for powder cocaine issues increased by 10 per cent in 2022-23, from 21,298 to 23,529, according to the latest treatment statistics from OHID. The previous peak number was 21,396 in 2019-20. The headline figure is for powder cocaine use, but there are also increases in treatment for crack […]

[…] pthe East of Enbland. Rates of drub poisoninpb deaths have been consistently hibher in the most deprived areas, particularly amonb peoplpe in their forties, while deaths involvinb cocaine have increased for eibht years in a row. Poisoninbs involvinb cocaine have risen by more than 26 per cent for women and 7 per p cent […]

[…] and had brought cannabis use down sharply. Opiate use remained steadier, at around 4 per cent in the last few years. There was little indication of crack cocaine use, nor amphetamines – ‘people don’t want to heighten the experience, but deaden it,’ he said. Mr Wheatley was pleased that needle exchanges had been kept […]

[…] consequence, had ‘the drug problem they deserve’. In remarks that were greeted with ‘surprise and concern’ by DrugScope, Mr Costa equated the harmful characteristics of cannabis with cocaine and heroin, warning that it was a mistake to dismiss the potent modern forms of ‘the world’s most abused illicit drug’ as ‘soft and relatively harmless’. […]

[…] chemicals that are similar to opiate drugs. Reuters, 16 June Kids as young as 15 are signing up for self-help meetings in a bid to kick their cocaine habits. Cocaine Anonymous Scotland has revealed how a growing number of youngsters are becoming addicted to the drug and they claim that cocaine abuse has reached […]

[…] seeking treatment. Craig Moss, who manages the data programme, said the exercise revealed trends of drug use in different areas: ‘We are seeing a rise in crack cocaine use in the Midlands, whereas earlier data showed concentrations of crack cocaine had principally been in London. While reluctant to make assumptions, Mr Moss said there […]

[…] set out in the government’s new welfare reform green paper. Claimants could also face fraud investigations if they do not declare an addiction to heroin or crack cocaine when applying for benefits. Up to 100,000 problem drug users on benefits are not in treatment, says No one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility. […]

[…] (www.drinkanddrugsnews.com/scotland-sees-slight-fall-in-drug-related-deaths). Just under half of all drug poisoning deaths in England and Wales involved an opiate, while – as was the case in Scotland – deaths involving cocaine have increased, with 8 per cent more than the previous year. With international cocaine production at record high levels (www.drinkanddrugsnews.com/worldwide-cocaine-manufacture-hits-record-high) the number of deaths involving cocaine […]

[…] said: ‘alcohol harm has become a priority due to the high levels of drink-related crime, injur y and alcohol-related diseaseexperienced in Blackpool’. The Blackpool Gazette, 7 July New research hints at why it's so hard to quit smoking. In a study on mice, Pennsylvania researchers found thatnicotine affects the brain through the same mechanism as heroin and other opiate drugs. Par t of nicotine's hold on smokers is believed to be due to its effect on brain levels of dopamine, which is associated with feelings of wellbeing. But there is evidence from several studies that nicotine also causes a rise in levels of opioids – naturally occurring chemicals that are similar to opiate drugs. Reuters, 16 June Kids as young as 15 are signing up for self-help meetings in a bid to kick their  cocaine habits. Cocaine Anonymous Scotland has revealed how a growing number of youngsters are becoming addicted to the drug and they claim that cocaine abuse has reached 'epidemic' propor tions.  Exper ts blame the falling cost of the drug and the fact it is now far more readilya vailable, for the rise in abuse. Daily Record, 7 July P ete Docher ty claims his shambolic performance at Live 8 had nothing to do with drugs. He says he was flustered because Geldof's daughter Peaches had pinched his behind before he want on stage.  He said: ‘I wasn't lost for words and I wasn't out of it on drugs. Just before I went on stage Peaches squeezed my bumhard and whispered something rather suggestive to me. It left me in such shock I didn't know where I was.’ Daily Mirror, 6 July […]

[…] for child- focused services A rise of 30 per cent in the number of people seeking treatment for drug addiction has been reported by treatment charity Addaction. A proportion of the data, which covers 70 services in 46 locations, will be fed into the National Data Monitoring System (NDTMS) to enable the government and NationalTr eatment Agency to monitor new trends. More than 5,000 new clients made contact with services in 2004-5 than in the previousy ear – a total of 22,655 people seeking treatment. Craig Moss, who manages the data programme, said the exercise revealed trends of drug use in different areas: ‘We are seeing a rise in crack  cocaine use in the Midlands, whereas earlier data showed concentrations of crack cocaine had principally been in London.  While reluctant to make assumptions, Mr Moss said there were indications that the national Drugs Intervention Programme had had an effect, as ‘referral pathways are being cleared and responsiveness is improving’.  Analysis of groups accessing Addaction services showed that the main substance used by White British clients was heroin at 43 per cent, followed by alcohol at 31 per cent. Crack cocaine was the favoured drug of BlackC aribbean clients at 37 per cent, followed by cannabis at 21 per cent. Bengali clients showed more heroin usage at 78 per cent, but a low level of alcohol use. Addaction reports 30 per cent rise in […]

[…] online trade in drugs continues to grow and has potential to expand further, it remains limited compared to traditional forms of supply. Global manufacture and seizures of cocaine remain at record levels (DDN, July/August 2019, page 5), with purity of the drug at retail level also the highest ever recorded. More criminal networks are […]

Record-high production levels for opiates and cocaine, coupled with expanding drug markets, mean the drugs are now a ‘bigger global threat to public health and law enforcement than ever before’, according to UNODC’s latest World drug report. Global opium production grew by 65 per cent between 2016 and 2017, the highest estimate ever recorded […]

[…] alcohol and drug use spanning 20 years, Shaun describes how it severely impacted all aspects of his life including personal, work and health. Having replaced alcohol with cocaine after ten years of drinking, he was using four to five grams every night. After his divorce in 2020, Shaun was using both alcohol and cocaine […]

Heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine and MDMA are now being sold at ‘unprecedented’ levels of purity, according to the latest DrugWise survey of the UK’s street drugs market. This confirms a trend of rising purity levels detected since 2014, says Highways and buyways: a snapshot of UK drug scenes 2016, which is based on interviews […]

This year’s HIT Hot Topics conference delved into neuroscience to challenge our perceptions of drugs and drug taking. Max Daly reports  The fervour around crack cocaine reached such a level of hype in the US in the 1980s, neuroscientist Dr Carl Hart told the 2014 HIT Hot Topics conference, that at one point black […]

[…] TOOLKITA new toolkit on monitoring infectious diseases among people who inject drugs has been launched by EMCDDA, including study methods and example questionnaires as well as a comprehensive overview of the key issues. The organisation has also published a guide to the civil society organisations engaged in drug policy advocacy in Europe. Drug-related infectious diseases and Drug policy advocacy organisations in Europe at www.emcdda.europa.eu NEWb IN BRIEF January 2014 |  drinkanddrugsnews | 5 www.drinkanddrugsnews.com News |  Round-up Just over b0,000 under-18s received help for drug and alcohol problems in b01b-13, according to figures from Public Health England (PHE), down more than 600 from the previous year.  More than b3,500 sought help for cannabis as their main problem drug, and more than 4,700 for alcohol, while ‘historic low’ figures for young people needing help for heroin or  cocaine – b75 and 245 respectively – were offset by increasing numbers having problems with amphetamines, mephedrone and other new psychoactive substances.  ‘Young people’s alcohol and drug use is generally less established than adults’, so they tend to respond quickly and positively to interventions,’ says  Substance misuse among young people in England 2012-13, with the average length of a treatment episode around five months.  ‘While the overall picture on young people’s substance misuse is fairly positive, cannabis and alcohol still present real challenges and services are also having to adapt to cope with the consequences of increased use of club drugs and newer substances,’ said PHE’s director of alcohol and drugs, Rosanna O’Connor. Meanwhile a report from Dr Foster found that people with a drug or alcohol problem accounted for almost 20 per cent of all emergency hospital admissions among the 40-44 age group. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), however, show that the proportion of adults who drank on at least five days of the previous week has fallen from 22 per cent to b4 per cent of men and from b3 per cent to 9 per cent of women, with the over-65s the group most likely to have drunk regularly. ‘People who drink frequently – every day or on most days of the week are just as likely as those who don’t drink as often to think they are in good health,’ said Drinkaware chief executive Elaine […]

[…] TOOLKITA new toolkit on monitoring infectious diseases among people who inject drugs has been launched by EMCDDA, including study methods and example questionnaires as well as a comprehensive overview of the key issues. The organisation has also published a guide to the civil society organisations engaged in drug policy advocacy in Europe. Drug-related infectious diseases and Drug policy advocacy organisations in Europe at www.emcdda.europa.eu NEWb IN BRIEF January 2014 |  drinkanddrugsnews | 5 www.drinkanddrugsnews.com News |  Round-up Just over b0,000 under-18s received help for drug and alcohol problems in b01b-13, according to figures from Public Health England (PHE), down more than 600 from the previous year.  More than b3,500 sought help for cannabis as their main problem drug, and more than 4,700 for alcohol, while ‘historic low’ figures for young people needing help for heroin or  cocaine – b75 and 245 respectively – were offset by increasing numbers having problems with amphetamines, mephedrone and other new psychoactive substances.  ‘Young people’s alcohol and drug use is generally less established than adults’, so they tend to respond quickly and positively to interventions,’ says  Substance misuse among young people in England 2012-13, with the average length of a treatment episode around five months.  ‘While the overall picture on young people’s substance misuse is fairly positive, cannabis and alcohol still present real challenges and services are also having to adapt to cope with the consequences of increased use of club drugs and newer substances,’ said PHE’s director of alcohol and drugs, Rosanna O’Connor. Meanwhile a report from Dr Foster found that people with a drug or alcohol problem accounted for almost 20 per cent of all emergency hospital admissions among the 40-44 age group. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), however, show that the proportion of adults who drank on at least five days of the previous week has fallen from 22 per cent to b4 per cent of men and from b3 per cent to 9 per cent of women, with the over-65s the group most likely to have drunk regularly. ‘People who drink frequently – every day or on most days of the week are just as likely as those who don’t drink as often to think they are in good health,’ said Drinkaware chief executive Elaine […]

[…] are unemployed, and two thirds of employers surveyed for the report by the University of Manchester indicated they would be unwilling to employ a heroin or crack cocaine user even if they were otherwise suitable for the job. The document acknowledges that getting some problem drug users ‘fit for the job’ can present a […]

[…] of the deaths were among men and a third among women, with just under half of all drug-poisoning deaths involving an opiate. The number of deaths involving cocaine, meanwhile, was 2 per cent more than in 2021 and represents the 11th consecutive annual rise. The most recent treatment statistics from OHID showed a 10 […]

[…] whco are not quite reaby to seek the help of an establischment that rrritsh Co ttslum brmia,e (DDN, December/January, page 25). These are distinct heroin and crack cocaine markets, and indeed much street level gang violence may not even be related to drug turf wars at all, but rather pointless ‘beefs’ over postcode rivalries […]

[…] building as well. David Gilliverhears how Open in Sandwell hit the ground running Building blocks most still largely opioid-based. Sandwell has problems with both crack and powder cocaine – in common with similar communities across the country, falling prices and widespread availability have meant that cocaine use is no longer the preserve of upmarket […]

[…] drugs sentences • Scotland unveils new treatment framework • Government plans to extend welfare reform to alcohol • Retention ‘the wrong target’ for treatment • West African cocaine challenges can be overcome says UNODC • News in brief 6 LETTERS AND COMMENT : Food for thought.... and supplemental food for thought; back to school; […]

[…] drugs most likely to cause a problem for those aged 18-25 are alcohol and cannabis, according to Young people’s drug and alcohol treatment at the crossroads, alongside cocaine, ketamine, GBL and mephedrone. The majority of adult services, however, are geared towards treating heroin and crack dependency. The treatment system needs to be more flexible […]

[…] in the use of ‘legal highs’ – in particular mephedrone(DDN, 18 January, page 6) – far more drug users are still encountering illegal class A drugs like cocaine and ecstasy, according to a survey of delegates at the DDN/Alliance Right here, right now! service user conference in Birmingham recently. Sixty-three per cent of those […]

[…] producers, suppliers and users to look beyond the hype at the reality of methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is not primarily derived from a plant source so unlike heroin or cocaine, it doesn’t necessarily require long supply routes. This has in turn made it especially popular in less accessible markets, such as New Zealand, where homegrown methamphetamine […]

[…] services. The helpline is being provided by substance misuse service provider Cais Ltd, in partnership with the Welsh Assembly Government. The helpline number is 0800 633 5588. Cocaine drug deaths on rise Cocaine was present in more Scottish deaths than ever before, according to figures released by the General Register Office in Scotland. The […]

[…] were in treatment programmes, according to research carried out by the National Drug Evidence Centre at Manchester University. The research team studied around 1,500 opiate and crack cocaine users who had recently offended and were receiving drug treatment in the community rather than serving a jail sentence, meaning they were technically able to commit […]

[…] drugs most likely to cause a problem for those aged 18-25 are alcohol and cannabis, according to Young people’s drug and alcohol treatment at the crossroads, alongside cocaine, ketamine, GBL and mephedrone. The majority of adult services, however, are geared towards treating heroin and crack dependency. The treatment system needs to be more flexible […]