.bmp)
.bmp)
ONE in 10 Scottish teenagers over the age of 16 is now taking cocaine as the cost of the illegal drug has fallen following record harvests in South America.The extent of the cocaine crisis among the country's youth is revealed today in two surveys compiled by police and by drugs, health and education experts for the Scottish Government.Police chiefs are also warning that a combination of cheap cocaine and alcohol is putting a new generation at risk of serious health problems.The deadly cocktail is now more readily available than ever before because teenagers from all class groups are pooling their money-meaning a single hit of the drug costs as little as £5.Combining the narcotic with drink prolongs the effect but puts users at a high risk of suffering a heart attack.Some medical studies suggest that the combination has more of an effect on the heart than cocaine alone.The Scottish Crime and Victim Survey and the Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyles and Substance Use Survey reveal that 13.2% of 16 to 19-year-olds have taken cocaine-10.4% in the past year.More than 6% said they had taken cocaine in the month before the surveys were compiled and 48% said drugs were easy to obtain.The availability of the Class A drug has increased following a bumper coca leaf harvest in South American supply countries such as Colombia, Bolivia and Peru. Scotland has the third-highest cocaine usage of any country in Europe and experts fear the situation will only get worse as more and more youngsters start experimenting with the illegal drug.Teenagers are clubbing together to buy a gram of cocaine for around £50. This can be used to provide up to 10 'lines'. Any money left over can be used to buy alcohol, which prolongs the effect of the drug.Scientists have discovered that drinking after using the drug produces a chemical, cocaethylene, which allows an individual to consume three times as much alcohol as they normally would without becoming incapacitated.However, it also means that the user is much more prone to violent outbursts as the drink and drug combination gives them an enhanced sense of 'invincibility'.It also increases the risk of a heart attack by up to 24 times.Susan Dean, a spokeswoman for the Scottish Drugs Forum, said the trend of mixing the two substances was "particularly worrying".She explained: "It appears that taking cocaine allows people to drink much more than they could normally tolerate."But that combination forms a chemical which can lead to sudden death through cardiac arrest. The combination is also causing people to become more aggressive."Detective Superintendent Willie MacColl, the National Drugs Co-ordinator for the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, said the health risks of taking cocaine, particularly with alcohol, were only just being appreciated. He said: "It can be extremely dangerous to mix different drugs, and this includes taking a drug and drinking alcohol."One reformed addict, who now works for Glasgow-based Cocaine Anonymous, said the age of users was falling. "The users are getting younger and younger and they are now starting off by getting the drug off older brothers or friends." He added that the major problem when taking the drug was combining it with alcohol. "If you take cocaine, you drink more, much more," he said. "That is what makes people feel the way they do – invincible."But the next thing they know, they are waking up in a cell after killing someone and their life is over. "That is if they do not kill themselves trying to be some sort of Superman."A spokesman for the Scottish Government said it had already begun to implement a programme aimed at reducing the number of youngsters who were using cocaine.He added: "Cocaine is not glamorous. It is an illegal, Class A drug which has serious health risks and can destroy lives and we have set up an expert working group to review psycho-stimulant use – including cocaine – in Scotland."The group is looking at the scale of the problem, including links between cocaine and alcohol, and will make recommendations on the best way forward to tackle these problems. It is due to report in early summer."The surge in cocaine availability comes despite a series of high-profile police operations aimed at severing the supply line....To read more go to:
As in the days of Noah...
