PDF (Cocaine dossier) - DrugScope

ContentsTo read recent media reports, you could be forgiven for thinking thatcocaine had just reached our shores. However, Druglink has beenreporting on the growing market for cocaine in the UK for over fifteenyears. In this special online‐only dossier, we bring together some of ourkey investigations and feature stories on cocaine, including the firstreporting of a two‐tier market in the drug and the spread of its use toblue collar workers. Our dossier provides a unique narrative of howcocaine moved from celebrity champagne drug to an integral part ofthe UK’s night time economy.3 The typical cocaine user.How our blinkered visionof the cocaine user hascreated the myth ofcocaine’s irresistibilityJan/Feb 19945 Reading between thelines. Is cocaine becomingthe stimulant of choicefor urban youth?Jan/Feb 19999 Coke in the UKCould it be the real thing?Nov/Dec 199910 Coke busts fail to dentpriceJan/Feb 200411 Passing the buckJan/Feb 200714 White lines, blue collarJuly 200718 Bash street kidsSept/Oct 200722 Cocaine better knownthan cannabis, accordingto kidsJuly/Aug 200823 Crossing the lineJuly/Aug 200825 Police target bashindustrySept/Oct 200826 Lost in transitionJan/Feb 200931 The hidden mixerMarch/April 200935 Dealers rely on cuttingagents as cocaine purityhits all time lowMay/June 2009