Cocaine use rises markedly among 16-29 year olds

Cocaine use among young adults in Britain is expanding faster than anywhere else in Europe, according to a new report.

The annual report from the Lisbon based European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, giving figures for 2000, shows that 5% of people in England and Wales between the ages of 16 and 29 took the drug at some point during the previous 12 months—compared with 1% in 1996.

“Overall, the drug situation in the United Kingdom is very stable, but we have seen a sharp increase in the use of cocaine as it becomes more acceptable on the recreational scene,” said Mike Trace, the United Kingdom's former deputy drugs “tsar” who now chairs the …