LINING UP FOR THE COCAINE

Ireland's young drug users are starting to switch from ecstasy to cocaine.

The new preference for cocaine is happening amid fears that ecstasy can
cause serious psychological damage and can sometimes lead to suicide as
users ``come down'' from the high that ecstasy induces.

Seizures in cocaine have increased dramatically in recent years. Last year
alone, there was a thirty-fold increase in the volume of cocaine seized by
Gardai. Seizures increased from 11 kilos in 1997 to 333 kilos last year.

One seizure alone in Cork contained 600 kilos, worth pounds 40 million.

The number of people charged with cocaine offences has been doubling every
year since 1996.

This mirrors developments in the drug culture in Europe. In January the
European Centre for Monitoring Drugs and Drug Abuse found that the
popularity of dance culture, in which ecstasy has played a symbolic role,
has peaked across Europe, and that ecstasy is now being replaced by cocaine
and amphetamines as the new growth areas of drug abuse.

These drugs are now increasingly available and in demand. Ecstasy commonly
known as E, Love Doves, Essence and Disco Biscuits is made in back street
laboratories by amateur scientists.

Less than half of all ecstasy tablets/capsules bought are pure MDMA the
chemical name for the drug.

The rest are a combination of MDMA and a whole range of other substances.

The big danger is that ecstasy is now being mixed with drugs like heroin,
amphetamine sulphate and LSD, or sometimes a mixture of these.

The increasing frequency of these drug cocktails means that taking ecstasy
is now more of an experiment into the unknown than ever before.

So the threat of death and serious psychological damage from taking ecstasy
is increasing all the time.

No one knows in advance what effect LSD, for one, is likely to have.
hallucinations can last up to 12 hours and "bad trips" can make someone try
to harm themselves or others very badly.

Flashbacks can happen up to five years after taking LSD. Equally worrying
are other "mixers" included in the manufacture of ecstasy.

They include anaesthetics such as Ketamine a cattle tranquillizer and
depressant drugs such as barbiturates, which are very dangerous, especially
when used with alcohol.

Cocaine has stepped into the vacuum. According to one Garda drugs source,
"cocaine was once regarded as the jetsetter's drug, for flashy, snobbish
people who thought it was cool. Nowadays, it's anybody's drug.

``Cannabis always was and still is the most widely abused illegal drug. Then
ecstasy came along and more and more drug traffickers decided to bring in
cocaine in as well''.

Another well-placed crime source says that cocaine is becoming the drug of
the moment among young criminals and drug dealers.

``They are big into cocaine, both using and selling it.'' Some Garda sources
say the Celtic Tiger has fuelled demands for the drug traditionally regarded
as the quintessential narcotic of extravagance and wealth.

Many observers consider it extremely disturbing that some celebrities have
effectively given cocaine free and dangerously irresponsible advertisement
by celebrating its use.

Last April, Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler was banned for four games and
fined pounds 32,000 by the FA and a similar fine by his club after he
mimicked cocaine snorting on the white line of the penalty area after
scoring a goal.

According to a Garda source, ``years ago cocaine was out of most people's
money range. Wages weren't as good, and that divided the haves and the have
not's.

``It cost a few hundred pounds a gram. These days you can buy high quality
cocaine for about pounds 80 a gram. You can get stung by somebody when you
buy E, but you can know how pure cocaine is by trying a little of it out
first.''

The Garda drugs source we spoke to says the big plus among young people who
decide to take cocaine instead of ecstasy is that they see cocaine as a
clean drug. ``They don't ever see themselves being found with a syringe
stuck in their arm in some old grubby flat. They think it's fancy and now
cheap to have cocaine. In some circles, to be seen snorting coke is a status
symbol.''

Any increasing demand for cocaine may open up the market for crack cocaine,
the most addictive and dangerous drug of all.

Although ecstasy is not physically addictive, you can become psychologically
dependent on it. You are unable to function emotionally without using it,
and sometimes need more and more to get the same effect.

People who take ecstasy experience a false euphoria, benevolence and sense
of calm.

When the effect wears off, users report pain and stiffness in their arms,
legs and jaws, muscle cramps, nausea, increased heartbeat and blood
pressure.

Pressure on the heart and respiratory system can kill you after a single
dose of ecstasy.

One of the biggest problems is overheating, and is one of the reasons why it
has caused so many deaths.

Dancers need to take a pint of water, fruit juice or isotonic drink every
hour to avoid heat-stroke which has killed ecstasy users both here and
abroad. On the other hand, drinking more than one pint of water per hour
after taking ecstasy can cause coma and death from water poisoning.

But keeping well hydrated is no cure for all the ills of ecstasy because
nobody knows why some people have severe reactions to the drug.

People have died (some after just one tablet) from muscle breakdown, blood
clots, stroke and kidney failure.

Because of the way in which ecstasy damages brain cells, "coming down" often
causes severe depression, memory loss, anxiety, panic attacks and insomnia.
Many users say they feel threatened and defenceless. The long-term effects
of ecstasy are unpredictable. Taking it can cause psychosis, confusion,
depression and anxiety that lasts for several weeks. To know the full extent
of how ecstasy affects the brain, scientists say we may have to wait another
20 years.

Then, it is likely that a lot of ecstasy users will be seeking psychiatric
help.

Cocaine, also called ``snow'' and ``Charlie'', lifts the spirits almost
instantly.

It makes you feel superior, very articulate and sometimes aggressively
assertive.

The ``come down'' from cocaine includes paranoia, depression, anxiety and a
feeling of being persecuted, which often leads to aggression.

Cocaine also causes death from fatal overdoses and stroke.

Long term use of cocaine completely distorts your sleep patterns and your
eating habits completely change. It causes severe nasal bleeding and a risk
of your nose collapsing.

While ecstasy is far more unpredictable in terms of its psychological
effects, cocaine is far more dangerous in terms of addiction.

It is also likely that you will have to increase the dose to get the same
effect as the first few times. Cocaine makes you push the body further than
it would normally go.

When the effect wears off the body ``crashes'' and sudden death may occur.

In June the first major study of the link between cocaine and heart disease
in the journal Circulation found cocaine increases the risk of heart attack
by 24 times during the hour after using it.

Most of the current research suggests the physical effects are worse long
term in relation to cocaine, while the psychological effects are worse from
ecstasy.

Johnny (not his real name) is 23-years-old. ``I prefer cocaine to ecstasy
now, though I don't take it very often. With cocaine, unlike ecstasy, you
can do what you want because you're very lucid.

``You can stay at home, you can drink as much as you like and not get too
drunk, you can smoke, you can speak to a lot of people, you can work.

``When I have to study a lot, I take cocaine. You could never do that with
ecstasy.

``Shortly before an exam, I've taken a little cocaine. Overall, it's a more
mellow drug than ecstasy.

``The problem with cocaine is you can't sleep. You get very nervous, but
you're wide awake and your mind is racing with anxiety and negative thoughts
of how cocaine is dangerous, how it's very bad for you.

``It's a terrible comedown - the worst thing about cocaine really.

``I think ecstasy is more dangerous. It's a new drug. You can make it in
your own home, mix it with lots of other drugs.

``If you take bad ecstasy, you are physically exhausted. Another reason I
don't take ecstasy now and prefer cocaine is because these days

``I don't like to go dancing. For me, ecstasy is only for dancing and
nightclubs.

``Five years ago, people who went to clubs were different to what they are
now.

``They were much younger and they took ecstasy more discreetly than now.

`` Now when you go to a club everybody is talking about what they're on and
asking you what you're on.

``Because of that, and because I'm older, I'm not so interested in the club
culture or taking ecstasy.''