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Cocaine ‘costs less than a coffee’
Marianne Taylor - The Herald
A line of cocaine can cost as little as £1, or less than a cup of coffee, according to the latest figures.
Statistics released by the Home Office yesterday revealed that in some cases the drug can be bought for just £20 a gram, prompting experts to admit that cocaine use is now a "cultural phenomenon" that has become increasingly difficult to tackle.
Each gram can yield up to 20 lines, which would equate to just £1 per line. The average price of the drug, which is taken widely in the UK by "recreational" users, is now £40 per gram, down from £77 a decade ago.
advertisementThe average prices of both heroin and cocaine have plummeted in recent years. A gram of heroin can now cost as little as £25, according to the government figures, although on average the price is around £40, down from £74 in 1998.
David Liddell, director of the Scottish Drugs Forum, said: "The fact that cocaine can be bought for as little as £20 a gram does not surprise me.
"Agencies, including the government, are struggling to know how to respond."