Lots of people are ending up in hospital as ‘super-strength’ cocaine hits Britain’s streets

In the past couple of years, the cocaine sold by street dealers in Britain has risen dramatically in purity – with samples at up to 80-90% pure.

The result has been that the number of cocaine users who have ended up in A&E wards has doubled, according to one drug expert.

Dr Adam Winstock of the Global Drug Survey says that the number of cocaine users seeking emergency medical treatment had doubled.

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Dr Winstock said, ‘Every year we ask people, ‘Have you ended up in the A&E department?'” Dr Winstock explains.

‘Over the last three years the proportion of people in the UK seeking emergency medical treatment has doubled from 0.5% to 1%.

‘They turn up at A&E with panic, anxiety, chest pain. They can’t breathe, they’re too sweaty, they’re agitated. All of the things you would expect when someone’s taken too much coke.

Previous reports suggested that this could be down to competition between darkweb dealers, posting high-purity cocaine to the UK.

Harry Shapiro of drugs charity Drugwise said, ‘When cocaine is imported into the country, it’s never 100% pure – to find levels like what we’re seeing, it’s hardly being cut at all’.

Shapiro says that he doesn’t believe that the change is due to ‘darkweb’ dealers – and that most cocaine is still sold via dealers who operate via mobile phones.

Shapiro says, ‘One reason might be that there’s been a big crackdown on the people who supply the chemicals used to cut drugs. So it’s a bit harder to get hold of the actual powders you’d use to cut cocaine – and it’s probably more of a risk.’