well brill its heroin that comes from afghanistan. cocaine comes from mainly south america.
that spiderman dance is always intoxicating.
brill did you catch the part in the story about them pushing for hand held drug tracing machines in public? i'm thinking that is the real story. they want to use global warming as the basis for using such machines. they could basically arrest anyone in a crowd if the machine detects traces of drugs. even if they have none actually on them at the time. more big brother shit if you ask me.
yeah sorry jumped the gun and got on o heroin now as for hand held drug machines.
the uk is going at full pace to so call tackle cocaine,cant have to many black market dealers now can we lol
NewsCorrect tactical approach but no less cocaine on streets warn MPs
3 March 2010
In a report published today the Home Affairs Committee warns that a deadly, socially and environmentally destructive drug seems to be becoming more widely acceptable in the UK and says more must be done to tackle the demand side in the UK alongside international efforts to disrupt smuggling.
Report: The Cocaine Trade
Home Affairs Committee
The Committee concludes that the doubling in wholesale price of cocaine at the UK border between 1999 and 2009 suggests that law enforcement efforts have had some impact on supply to the UK, but says it saw no evidence that enforcement has affected demand or the ready availability of the drug on the street. The price of a 'line' of cocaine at street level has, conversely, halved since 1999 with some seizures now containing as little as 5 per cent cocaine.
The Committee warns against the dangerous misconception that cocaine is a 'safe' drug: in 2008 some 235 sudden deaths were associated with cocaine, and it is linked to heart disease, long-term erosion of cognitive brain function, and of extremely toxic effects when combined with alcohol.
The Committee was concerned by reports that residential rehabilitation is not readily available and recommends that the Government increase funding for this treatment. It warns that the restriction of the definition of a 'problem drug user' to opiate and/or crack users only may have reduced treatment available to cocaine powder users.
The Committee was impressed with the high-visibility anti-cocaine operations run by some police forces in town centres at night, which combine zero-tolerance enforcement with treatment. It urges more Chief Constables to run such operations and recommends that all police forces invest in hand-held drug trace machines.
There has been a large increase in cocaine powder users, and they have diversified from the ‘rich and famous’ to a far wider cross-section of society. The Committee says greater attention must therefore be focused on targeting demand.
The number of adults reporting cocaine use within the past year quintupled from 1996 to 2008/09, as did the number of young people, bucking the overall trend of a fall in illicit drug use in the UK. The number of individuals in treatment for primary cocaine powder addiction has also risen, from 10,770 in 2006/07 to 12,592 in 2007/08.
The Committee praises the Serious Organised Crime Agency’s (SOCA) and UK Border Agency’s (UKBA) general approach, namely to actively disrupt the cocaine trade overseas and thereby prevent it reaching the UK. But it says it is far more difficult to establish how successful this strategic approach has been to date. SOCA seized 85.1 tonnes of cocaine worldwide in 2008/09, but it is impossible to determine what proportion was due to SOCA alone, since this figure includes seizures made with other partners where the extent of SOCA’s input is not transparent.
The Committee was shocked to discover only 3.5 tonnes of the estimated 25–30 tonnes of cocaine which does enter the UK border was seized in the UK last year. The Committee says interception of 12–14 per cent of cocaine reaching the UK is 'woefully inadequate', while UKBA’s target to seize 2.4 tonnes of cocaine this year is 'deeply unambitious' and lower than the amount it seized in both previous years. It recommends that a more nuanced scoring system be developed to grade disruptive activity and measure the extent and impact of SOCA and UKBA operations overseas.
The Committee suggests UKBA’s low seizure target reflects a culture of complacency regarding the interception of goods as opposed to people and recommends that individual cocaine seizure targets for UKBA, SOCA and the police be replaced by a joint seizure target for UK law enforcement agencies. The Committee calls for the appointment of an Independent Drugs Advisor to ensure that Government drugs policy is fully implemented in an integrated manner across all the various agencies responsible.
news.parliament.uk/2010/03/correct-tactical-approach-but-no-less-cocaine-on-streets-warn-mps/ ;)i think the deaths are more down to cocaine not being pure