Martha Gill’s article about the ravages of increased cocaine usage and purity raises important questions, and gives data that shows our thinking on the whys and hows of the use and treatment of the drug are out of date (“Britons are dying in a blizzard of cheap cocaine. Why is so little being done to save them?”). It is strange, though, that the article does not mention the word “addiction”, even while questioning why it might be that rates of usage remain so high among gen X users in their 40s and 50s.
Cocaine remains a stubbornly glamorous and seductive drug and for many people its highly addictive qualities lie hidden in plain sight. Many are the “casual” or “occasional” users partaking every weekend for years on end, claiming they can stop at any time, while glaringly unaware that they haven’t yet and won’t do anytime soon.
George Prowse
Cranbrook, Kent
