COCAINE - INSIDIOUS TAKEOVER

Cocaine, once the preserve of the rich and famous, is now beginning to
overshadow the established heroin trade in Kings Cross.

The staggering demand for a drug that is often taken 10 to 15 times a day
has created a dealer fraternity which can turn over thousands of dollars
each day.

Clad in the newest designer tracksuits with sleek up-to-the-minute mobile
phones, they ply their trade up and down Darlinghurst Road all day and
night.

Young girls preselect for cocaine or "okie doke", as it is known on the
street, because it promotes rapid weight loss as a side effect of its
well-known short euphoria. A strong psychological dependency is common,
often producing psychosis and skin picking to remove imaginary insect
infestations.

The new popularity of cocaine is fraught with difficulty for doctors.

At least with heroin, there are some treatment options available. Nothing
seems to successfully overcome an intense craving for this drug.

Dr Raymond Seidler,
November 30 Potts Point.