Clock ticking on Edinburgh cocaine timebomb

COCAINE is set to become a bigger problem than heroin in the Capital within five years, Edinburgh's drugs chief warned today.

Tom Wood, below, head of the Action on Alcohol and Drugs in Edinburgh, said urgent action was needed to prevent cocaine use getting out of hand.

City drug workers have already seen a huge growth in addicts seeking help and warned that the street price of cocaine had sunk to a record low.

They have also warned of a huge rise in so-called "free parties" or outdoor raves in places like Blackford Quarry where cocaine can be taken freely.

Mr Wood said today that just five years ago there were fewer than ten people in Edinburgh seeking help for cocaine addiction. That number has now soared to between 200 and 300.

He said the drug's popularity had been fuelled by a clean, non-addictive image, which misled people as to its harmfulness.

He said: "Cocaine is more than a fashion and in many places has overtaken heroin as the drug of choice. Cocaine is coming up on the outside and in Edinburgh in the next five years you might see cocaine overtake heroin. There are 200-300 people seeking help at the moment compared to five years ago when you could have counted the number on two hands."

Mr Wood said the increase was a "conservative estimate" and added that many more people may not be seeking help.

The extent of Edinburgh's cocaine problem was laid bare by an Evening News investigation earlier this year which uncovered traces of the drug in two-thirds of the city's top bars and clubs.

Edinburgh's drug workers have called for more funding and resources.

Cocaine is now selling on the streets of Edinburgh for around 40-50 a gram - half of what it cost a decade ago.

John Arthur, national director of the drugs support agency, said three years ago the biggest stimulant drug was ecstasy but now 80 per cent of clients contacting the service have cocaine problems.

He said there had been a move away from clubs, with their strict door policies, and a rise in "free parties", where cocaine could be taken with fewer restrictions.

He said: "Last year there was a drought of ecstasy in the city and people turned to cocaine. Edinburgh is one of the areas in Scotland best served for treating cocaine but we need more funding for our outreach work."

The Edinburgh Stimulant User Service (ESUS) had 88 referrals for cocaine last year.

This year they are on course to exceed that by nearly 50 per cent.

Carla Ellis, manager of Edinburgh drug advice centre Crew 2000, on Cockburn Street, said powder cocaine was the main problem they saw in the city, with small pockets of crack use, particularly among the homeless and in the sex trade.

She said: "Monitoring the club scene at the moment you see cocaine use increasing. It used to have an image of being used by young, rich people."

Detective Superintendent Gill Wood, national drug co-ordinator at the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, agreed cocaine was a bigger problem than ever. "On drugs operations by police cocaine and heroin are being seized together whereas in previous years user groups were different and cocaine use was restricted to affluent professionals."

'I used to take coke to fit in but alienated myself'

CARRIE-ANN, 35, began taking cocaine in clubs at weekends shortly after moving to Edinburgh 15 years ago.

At first it was simply a "treat" which gave her an extra buzz on a big night out.

Gradually the habit grew, over the course of a few years, until she was taking the class A drug every weekend, then during the week too.

Her "erratic" performance at work led to her losing her highly-paid sales manager job. At around the same time, she broke up with her partner.

Instead of being short of cash, the sale of the flat the couple shared meant she had the money - as well as the new-found spare time - to indulge even further.

From starting off on a fraction of a gram in a night, she ended up taking up to five or six grams a day, partying seven nights a week.

She suffered terrible nose bleeds, insomnia, a racing heartbeat and paranoia.

"It changed my values and personality. I thought I was right all the time."

She said she then started dealing cocaine - badly, she admits, because she took a lot herself and gave a lot away - and eventually stopped when the money ran out.

"I then turned to alcohol, downing at least a bottle of vodka a day."

She realised she had to stop abusing substances.

She started to attend Alcoholics Anonymous, then Cocaine Anonymous, meetings.

"I went to an AA meeting 20 months ago and stopped that day. I used to take cocaine to fit in but I ended up alienating myself," she said.