NUMBER OF WOMEN IN SUSSEX USING COCAINE RISES

Women In Sussex Are In The Grip Of Cocaine Addiction As Use Of The Drug Soars.

More women in the county were cautioned last year for having cocaine
than almost anywhere else in the country outside London.

According to the Ministry of Justice, the number of women cautioned
for possession of cocaine nationwide has risen nearly five times
since 2002 with Sussex second only to the London, Thames Valley and
Hertfordshire police areas.

Dr Richard Bowskill, lead psychiatrist for addiction treatment at
the Priory Hospital in Hove, said he is seeing more and more women
who need treatment for cocaine use.

In Brighton and Hove, the number of drug addicts in treatment rose
by 19% between September 2007 and August 2008, mostly for heroin and
crack cocaine addiction.

Drug charity Frank said it receives double the amount of calls about
cocaine now than it did three years ago.

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction says
more people in Britain admit trying cocaine than anywhere else in Europe.