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Crack Cocaine Use in London

There are now 46,000 crack cocaine users in London, sparking fears that it is becoming endemic across the United Kingdom.

Researchers from Imperial College London and Bristol University analysed data taken from twelve London Boroughs, and used statistical modelling to estimate the number of people between 15 and 44 who use the drug.

The figures amount to 1.3 per cent of London’s population, suggesting that crack is far more prevalent than previously thought.

“Although crack cocaine use has been a cause for concern in many countries since the 1980s, there has not been the predicted epidemic across the UK until now,” said Dr Matthew Hickman of Imperial College London, one of the paper’s authors. “We must be cautious but the analysis suggests there is a substantial problem.

“With almost 60 percent of crack-cocaine users also opiate users, part of the increase in use is driven by heroin users, which has implications for treatment and prevention.”

The study also found that three times as many men as women were using the drug, with 2.4 per cent of males and 0.7 per cent of females classified as users.

“Although these results are only estimated figures, they do indicate the crack cocaine problem in London may be much larger than we initially thought, with our estimates almost four times higher than population surveys suggest,” said Imperial College’s Dr Vivian Hope.

“As crack cocaine use has been associated with increased risk behaviours, particularly among those who inject drugs, the high levels of use found are a concern.”

The study was funded by the Home Office Research and Statistics Directorate, and published in online journal Addiction.

The problem is not just confined to the capital though.

Police in Nottingham ran a project where people arrested for burglary, robbery and theft were tested for drug use.

Nearly1,400 individuals were arrested and around half tested positive for cocaine, with the majority believed to be crack users.

An indication of the escalation of the problem is that in the 12 months prior to July 2001, Nottingham’s drug counselling team dealt with 104 crack users. They saw the same number in the last five months of 2007.