*The names of
the individuals in this article have been changed to protect their identity.
Considering we are to be
talking about a substance that has been less than elusive for decades, it seems
bizarre that one would entitle this article ‘The truth about Cocaine’. You
would probably ask me “what else is there to know?’ And you’ve probably seen it on the TV, or at a mate’s
party cut into lines on a table, or you might even have a little baggie stuffed
into your wallet next to your debit cards and receipts. And sure I could just
bore you to death with all the statistics and figures, which I will discuss a
bit in a moment, but what real use will is that? Rather than ramble on about
the scientific facts of the drug I want to tell you the real stories of the
people behind the rolled up fiver. From a university student who has started
experimenting to a hard core addict, it is here that you will hear true
experiences about the UK’s favourite party drug.
According to the UN we in
the UK consume more coke than any other country in Europe, with more than 1
million regular users of the drug. Most of us will either know someone who
takes it or have taken it ourselves. The way cocaine is usually ingested is
through the nose.
All sorts of people take
coke so it is difficult to pin point who is riding the white pony, but the
reasons they take it are often the same; for escaping and having the
opportunity to be elsewhere for a bit, or just for a good time.
Some of the biggest users of
the drugs are young adults, particularly those entering into university. I
spoke to Charlotte, a 19 year old student who is now in her second year of
university studying in the West Midlands. Charlotte is a strikingly normal
girl; medium brown shoulder-length hair, a sweet smile and is very polite and
eager to answer the questions I had.
She said, in a fairly
diplomatic and indifferent manner, that she started using cocaine when she was
18 and just starting university, ‘I normally take it more than once a week at
uni, but at home every two weeks or so”. For her taking the drug is simple, ‘I
just like to feel buzzed for a night out’.
Charlotte was eager to say that whilst she will for now continue to use the drug she does not intend to get addicted ‘At the moment I control what I take and when I take it therefore I believe I can stop when I want to’.
The addictive nature of
cocaine has always been a concern surrounding the substance. I think most people would agree that no one
would choose to become addicted to any drug, but why do some people go from
chalking up before a night-out, to scraping every penny they can get their
hands on the fund their cravings for a sniff? I spoke to Steve, 24, who refers
to himself as a heavy user of cocaine. He had just got out of bed when I
arrived to his house around noon and was lighting his first fag of the day. Whilst
he was yawning lots and still waking up he said that he started taking cannabis
at 12 and first tried cocaine when he was 18 or 19. He said the reason he began
to take it was because his mates did. He claims to spend around £150 a month on
coke, which is nearly all the spare cash he has on him after living expenses.
He has in the past considered quitting but ‘I just love it too much’.
So now we have heard from a
recreational user to one that has become reliant on the drug. I next wanted to
speak to one of the people who provide us in the UK with the substance to find
out more about what the coke business itself.
I tracked down Adam, a
dealer operating in the UK who agreed to speak with me. He was friendly and
nicely dressed and not the standoffish prick I expected. He said that he got
into dealing when he was 14 and started selling cannabis before his dealer
offered him the chance to make more money by selling coke. From there he
started selling to friends, and then as be became more established his market
expanded. I asked him what percentage of cocaine is in the stuff he sells, but
he didn’t know. I also asked if he cuts the drug up with anything else, to
which he replied ‘nothing at all’.
Cocaine purity levels in the
UK have dropped from 67% to 56% according to the 2009 world drug report, who is
to know what the other crap in there is. It could be powdered milk, speed or
caffeine to give the user more of a ‘buzz’ or other whitish powders such as
talc or baking soda. But other dealers are putting more and more harmful
substances into their batches, such as painkillers and anaesthetics which give
the famous ‘numbing sensation’ which can contain lidocaine or phenacetin that
can cause cancer (sourced from Frank).
I went onto ask Adam about
the people that take the drugs he sells. I asked him if he ever felt concern
for the people who buy the drug from him, to which his response was ‘Not
really. My job is giving then what they want. It’s their problem how they use
it”. He refused to answer any questions regarding his profits but when I left
he smiled and waved then drove off in some nice white car.
Whether or not the blame
lies with the dealers or the users, the truth remains that people will probably
continue to use drugs no matter what they know or do not know about the
dangers.
A final question I put to
each person I interviewed was if they thought cocaine should be legalised. I’ll
end with their responses:
Charlotte, recreational
user- “No, I don’t think it should be made legal. It has harmful effects and is
clearly addictive and damages people’s lives… If made legal those more vulnerable
would be able to take it and this is something I would not advise.”
Steve, heavy user- “No point
making it legal, it wouldn’t be as strong. But I can see the upsides; with
taxing it and there being no drug wars.
Adam, cocaine dealer- “Fuck
that… I’d be out of business.”
