FALLING COCAINE PRICE PUTS YOUNGSTERS AT RISK

Health experts today warned that a drop in the price of cocaine and
using it with alcohol is putting a generation of young people at risk.

The warnings come as a new survey revealed that more than ten per cent
of Scotland's 16 to 19-year-olds have taken cocaine.

The extent of the drug's use among teenagers has been published in two
surveys compiled for the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Crime and Victim Survey and the Scottish Schools
Adolescent Lifestyles and Substance Use survey show that 13.2 per cent
of 16 to 19-year-olds have taken cocaine.

More than six per cent said they had taken the drug in the month
before the surveys were compiled and 48 per cent said drugs were easy
to obtain.

Scientists have discovered that drinking after using the drug enables
an individual to triple the amount of alcohol they can drink and
increases the risk of a heart attack by up to 24 times.

Susan Dean, a spokeswoman for the Scottish Drugs Forum, said: "It
appears that taking cocaine allows people to drink much more than they
could normally tolerate.

"But that combination forms a chemical which can lead to sudden death
through cardiac arrest."