Cocaine’s been big in Cumbria for about five years

12:57 Cumbria 0 Comments

Paul Brown: ’Cocaine’s been big in Cumbria for about five years’ drug counsellors in Carlisle have warned that growing numbers of young professionals are coming to them with cocaine addictions.Self-employed men in their twenties are seen as an area of concern because many take home good pay and splash out on increasing amounts of the drug at weekends.The problem is compounded with dealers dropping the price, increasing its availability. Cumbria police say cocaine has a current street value of around £40 a gram.No official figures have yet been recorded but the Cumbria Alcohol and Drug Advisory Service (Cadas) has noticed a small yet increasing number of calls from people making inquiries about what help they can get.Managers raised the issue with Chief Constable Craig Mackey this week when he visited the charity’s new offices in West Tower Street.Cadas counsellor Helen Gregory said: “Cocaine is one of the challenges for us in going forward. The clientele we get is different with cocaine compared to other drugs. It’s men in their twenties who are self-employed in business, and at weekends they will binge on cocaine.“Because they are self-employed they don’t have a boss to tell them off on a Monday morning when they get back to work.”The charity’s director Paul Brown said: “Cocaine has been big in Cumbria for about five years but the nature of it is that people enjoy it for quite a lot of the time and think they can handle what they are doing.
“But then they spend more and more money on it and the habit starts taking hold.”
He added: “Because these people are spending more time on the up and up, the world seems dull and they can’t cope with that.
“For us, it is just starting to come through with people coming forward, but it’s the tip of the iceberg.”Mr Brown said cocaine was commonly seen as a party drug. He added: “Also with so many celebrities seen to be taking it, it is seen as a drug that can bring you success. People think it is a Hollywood drug.”
Cadas has moved into a new base in West Tower Street from offices nearby in Fisher Street. An official opening is planned later this year.