CRACK USE AT RECORD LEVEL, ILLEGAL DRUG STUDY SAYS

Toronto -- The use of crack cocaine, especially among young people in
Toronto, is at an all-time high, according to a massive 10-year study.

The report, which looked at drug-use statistics for the past decade,
shows that about 34 per cent of people in drug-treatment programs
sought help for a crack cocaine problem.

A decade ago, the figure stood at 6 per cent.

"This is a very significant change. Crack cocaine is a very dangerous
drug," said Joyce Bernstein of Toronto Public Health. Ms. Bernstein is
vice-chairwoman of the Research Group on Drug Use, which undertook the
review to mark the group's 10th anniversary.

Since it was established in 1990 by Toronto Public Health, the group
has been collecting data on illegal drug use and making it public in
annual reports. The group draws on statistics from police, the
Coroner's Office, and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

The report, which was released yesterday, has some good news: The
number of heroin deaths dropped to 36 in 1998 from a high of 67 in
1994. The authors of the report attribute the decrease to the success
of methadone-treatment and needle-exchange programs.

Ms. Bernstein said special services are now needed to treat those
addicted to cocaine. "The need to provide this treatment is urgent,
given the increased risks of violent behaviour and chaotic lifestyles
associated with this drug," she said.

When it comes to cocaine and crack cocaine, the demand for treatment
is higher in Toronto than in the rest of the province, the study
found. Slightly more than 34 per cent of the 4,916 who sought
treatment for addiction Toronto in 1998 were using cocaine. Across the
province, the figure was 19.3 per cent of the 21,189 who sought help.

Instead of smoking crack, users are increasingly injecting it into
their bodies, the study found. About 70 per cent of all injection drug
use in the city involves crack.

Ms. Bernstein said that crack is tremendously popular in the city
right now. "We associate the increase very strongly with the increase
in family poverty. We can't deny it any more. There's a real inner
city in Toronto," she said.

The study expresses concern about the growing popularity of new
designer drugs such as ecstasy and GHB, a depressant drug that is
considered more lethal than ecstasy. The report contains no
information about GHB, which is also called "liquid ecstasy," because
testing for it has only recently been introduced in Ontario.