With one million users, Britain's the cocaine capital of Europe: UN report
25 Jun 2009, 1424 Hrs

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London, June 25 According to a United Nations drugs report, more than one million people in Britain are cocaine users, with one in 20 school children also having tried it, making Britain the cocaine capital of Europe.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime found that even three per cent of 15 and 16 year-olds claim to have tried crack cocaine.

It estimated about 860,000 cocaine users in England and Wales, and around 140,000 in Northern Ireland and Scotland combined.

"The UK thus continues to be - in absolute numbers - Europe's largest cocaine market, with its second highest cocaine use prevalence rate," the report stated.

The World Drug Report 2009 revealed that there was a drastic increase of cocaine users in UK from the mid-90s, but remained stable over the last two years.

"If you take year and on year there seems to be a decline in this market but there is considerable cause for concern as the UK has still in absolute terms the largest numbers in Europe," the Telegraph quoted Dr Sandeep Chawla, lead author of the report, as saying.

The report found four per cent of youngsters have taken ecstasy and almost three in ten have tried cannabis.

"This is a really depressing snap shot of the drugs problem in the UK and underlines just how ineffective the Government's strategy on dealing with the drug problem has been," said Chris Grayling, Shadow Home Secretary.

The report provides details of supply routes that bring drugs to the UK, and says that cocaine is shipped to UK via the Caribbean or the west coast of Africa.

It also said that heroin comes from Afghanistan on land routes through the Middle East to Europe before it is re-packaged and smuggled in to Britain.(ANI)

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