Cocaine offences at record level

[michel]

Yes, I know, It's Michel about drugs again............

Why, with all the information, with all the publicity about what drugs 'do' to a person, is the use of them still rising ?

Is it the stress of our times, is it the fact that people are living 'just for today', or what is it, if none of those ?

(couldn't help myself from highlighting that bit about Cannabis)........

Cocaine offences at record level
Cocaine offences have reached record levels in England and Wales, with a 16% increase last year, according to Home Office figures.



The number of Class A drug offences dealt with by police in 2004 reached a new peak of 36,350 - up 2% on 2003.

There were 8,070 cocaine offences - up from 6,970 - while the number of crack cocaine offences rose 8% to 2,440.

Overall, drug offences fell 21% to 105,570, owing to the reclassification of cannabis from Class B to Class C.

The new figures showed the number of people found guilty or cautioned declined for all drugs apart from cocaine and crack.

Heroin offenders fell from 10,520 in 2003 to 10,040, and the number of people punished for ecstasy-type drug offences fell 300 to 5,230.


The figures today show a rise in convictions and cautions for cocaine, indicating successful police enforcement activity
Home Office




In total, 89,820 people were dealt with by the authorities for drugs offences in 2004 - of who 49,310 were found guilty at court and 33,470 cautioned by police.

A Home Office spokesman said the government's strategy was to focus on the drugs which caused most harm and deal robustly with those who supplied them.

He said: "The figures today show a rise in convictions and cautions for cocaine, indicating successful police enforcement activity.

"Use of cocaine has actually fallen in the last year according to the British Crime Survey."

But Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman told BBC News the country was moving itself into a "cocaine culture".

Only 49,840 people were found guilty or cautioned by police for cannabis offences in 2004 compared with 82,060 in 2003 - a fall of 39%.


Cocaine offences
1994 - 1,570
1997 - 2,880
2004 - 8,070





Former home secretary David Blunkett downgraded cannabis to Class C in January 2004, making most cases of cannabis possession a non-arrestable offence.

But in March this year, Home Secretary Charles Clarke moved to reassess the dangers of the drug in the light of new medical research.

He has asked advisers to look at the Dutch government's plans to introduce a higher classification for more potent types of cannabis, such as "skunk".

He also highlighted recent studies which suggested a link between cannabis use and mental illness.

Last month EU figures revealed one in UK 10 adults under the age of 35 had tried cocaine - the highest level of users in Europe. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, which released the figures, said the drug played a role in an estimated 10% of all drug-related deaths.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/4503300.stm

Published: 2005/12/06 13:41:28 GMT

© BBC MMV

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I've never used coke, but my guess on why drug use is up is because people are starting to find out what used to be said about drugs is a lie. A good example is The Refer Madness. Maybe if people would have been honest about the effects, usage wouldn't have went way up because people wanted to find out what it really does.

 

[mr.guy]

Why, with all the information, with all the publicity about what drugs 'do' to a person, is the use of them still rising ?

Well micheal, there's no shortage of misinformation concerning what drugs "do" to people. The establishment's attacks on relatively benign drugs have confused facts; their credability is shot. It's little wonder that any useful information is disregarded when so much of the presented "evidence" is bull****.

Is it the stress of our times, is it the fact that people are living 'just for today', or what is it, if none of those ?

People have been getting high forever, man. I'm not sure that all drugs have always been such a moral issue, though.

(couldn't help myself from highlighting that bit about Cannabis)

You're fixation on it will soon overshadow mine, micheal!

He also highlighted recent studies which suggested a link between cannabis use and mental illness.

Again, is he speaking of the New Zealand study of long-term pot use and schizophrenia? If you know, micheal i'd love to hear what this guys refering to.

 

[SoyLeche]

I don't think this would explain everything, but could it be that the police are just getting better at catching offenders?

 

[Ardent Listener]

I don't think this would explain everything, but could it be that the police are just getting better at catching offenders?

I don't know if your are right or wrong, but I like the fact that you're thinking outside of the box concerning this.

 

[SoyLeche]

I don't know if your are right or wrong, but I like the fact that you're thinking outside of the box concerning this.

Statistics degree... They teach you to do that in the first class

 

[michel]

I have just finished watching a programme which was investigating a drug money fraud, which is still on going.


Nigerians living in Spain have a scam where they are sending out letters to Gullible folk telling them they have won a fortune in a Spanish lottery; trouble is, they need fees paying to get to the money.

One woman, who thought she had won M£1, who paid out over £35 000 in fees, still hoping..........and that money is borrowed, accruing interest.

 

[Ardent Listener]

I have just finished watching a programme which was investigating a drug money fraud, which is still on going.


Nigerians living in Spain have a scam where they are sending out letters to Gullible folk telling them they have won a fortune in a Spanish lottery; trouble is, they need fees paying to get to the money.

One woman, who thought she had won M£1, who paid out over £35 000 in fees, still hoping..........and that money is borrowed, accruing interest.

One time I won a new car in a drawing. They called me late at night to let me know that I had won. My first reaction was that it was a scan even thought I recalled buying the tickets. It wasn't, but that is how careful I am concering such things.

 

[michel]

One time I won a new car in a drawing. They called me late at night to let me know that I had won. My first reaction was that it was a scan even thought I recalled buying the tickets. It wasn't, but that is how careful I am concering such things.

We get phone calls, e mails, letters every day.they are all scams. I have now become such a cynic I can see myself turning up winnings because I think its just another fraud.

 

[jamaesi]

http://www.talktofrank.com

It's seriously not that hard to tell the truth about drugs and their effects- both good and bad.

 

[Fluffy]

People go after short term solutions. There is far less motivation for a longer term plan since there are more factors that can go wrong and it is harder. This doesn't mean that short term solutions are worse, they are just different and benefit people in different ways (as well as hurting them in different ways).