COCAINE ABUSE IS A PROBLEM FOR US ALL

Who would have believed that more than half of the public access
toilets tested in North Devon would have contained traces of cocaine?
When we began the investigation we had the feeling that North Devon
might somehow be different, that it might be at least a little cut
off from those drug problems we hear about on the national news on an
almost daily basis. But it is not.Let's get one thing straight: we
place no blame on the owners of the establishments where our tests
proved positive. It is impossible to govern the behaviour of
individuals when they are in the privacy of a toilet stall. In fact,
the near-disappearance of the public toilet in our towns has in all
likelihood driven drug-users into shops, bars and cafes to get their fixes.

And North Devon is no different from anywhere else - certainly it is no worse.

However, it is clear that we have a major social problem on our
hands. Cocaine is no longer the preserve of braying city boys,
Champagne Charlies blowing - and snorting - their bonuses. Nor though
is it a drug confined to those living in a seedy underworld.

What our investigation highlights is the fact that it is out there;
it's pretty common. The drug treatment agencies are fighting to
tackle the problem of addiction and cannot be expected to do it
alone. They need the support of the authorities and the public to
help, to understand the reasons behind addiction, the social factors
which cause people to abuse drugs like this and to develop an
inclusive plan which tackles them head on.