The recent ONS drug-related deaths data revealed that fatalities involving cocaine rose by over 30 per cent last year ( DDN , November , page 4 ), and currently stand at nearly ten times the rate of a decade ago . It ’ s crucial that a concerted effort is made by the government and public health services to tackle this worrying development . The rise in cocainerelated deaths is a result of a combination of factors . There has been an increase in the
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purity of cocaine , which makes it potentially more toxic and more lethal . It has also become easier and cheaper to get hold of , and more people are using it – some in larger quantities , putting themselves at greater risk .
INCREASING SUPPLY According to the European Union Drugs Agency ( EUDA ) cocaine purity has been on an upward trend for a number of years , and in 2022 reached a level 45 per cent higher than in 2012 . In the first half of 2022 , 50 per cent of the samples tested by 18 drug checking services
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across eight EU countries exhibited a purity ranging from 80 per cent to 100 per cent . By the first half of 2023 , this equivalent share was 55 per cent .
Global cocaine production has increased year-on-year since 2014 . In 2022 , more than 160 tons of cocaine were confiscated in Antwerp and Rotterdam alone , and much more got into Europe undetected , evidencing the increasing demand for the drug .
Across the sector we ’ re seeing an increase in the number of clients presenting with cocaine and polysubstance
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use , with people using cocaine alongside other drugs such as alcohol , cannabis and MDMA . As a stimulant it ’ s often combined with something that will bring people down at the end of the night such as benzodiazepines and / or alcohol . Sometimes a drug-related death is a combination of the cocaine and other substances .
In 2020 , a government review of the UK ’ s £ 10bn drugs market found a sharp rise in illegal drug use , particularly among the middle classes . The UK has the second highest rate of cocaine
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