Britain: A surge in cocaine use is pushing Britain towards a "healthcare disaster" that will see a dramatic rise in heart attacks, strokes and neurological problems among young people, says a leading specialist.
The warning follows a three-year investigation into cocaine use carried out at a London hospital emergency unit which indicates that the medical complications of the drug will become a significant burden on hospital resources.
The study looked at levels of cocaine in people who arrived at the accident and emergency unit of St Mary's hospital in Paddington, who were complaining of chest pains, a common side-effect of the drug.
It found that on Friday or Saturday nights up to half the young people tested had cocaine in their system.
While fewer tested positive for the drug during the week, the numbers were still surprisingly high, said John Henry, toxicologist and professor of accident and emergency medicine, who led the study.
"Cocaine usage has peaked in the US but here it is still on the rise, which means the worst is yet to come. We're going to see more severe addiction, more strokes and heart attacks in young people, and more of the other complications linked to its usage," said Prof Henry, who is regarded as the UK's leading expert on illicit drug use. "It's a healthcare disaster and it's coming here."
The study confirms the fears of other healthcare professionals that cocaine use in Britain has reached an unprecedented level. In an audit of drug tests carried out by the City Hospital NHS teaching trust in Birmingham cocaine use was found to be increasing by about 50 per cent every three years, a trend showing no sign of slowing.
The rise of cocaine has been boosted by greater acceptability of the drug and better supply, bringing more drugs to UK streets and lower prices. A gram wrap of cocaine now costs as little as £45. Experts fear cocaine use will continue to soar until it reaches a peak, as it did in the 1990s in the US where there are now 25 million users and two million addicts.
Cocaine tightens up blood vessels, making the heart work harder and raising blood pressure. While long-term heart problems can build up in cocaine users, as little as two 100mg lines (a fraction of an ounce) is enough to cause chest pains.
The drug has also lead to a rise in foetal deaths in the US. It is believed that one in 10 babies dying in the womb do so because their mother took cocaine - a factor that leads to a rupture of the placenta, making it shear away from the womb.
- (Guardian service)