Number of cocaine users seeking treatment doubles

THE number of people seeking treatment for cocaine abuse has doubled, according to new national figures.

The data shows that 311 people reported cocaine as their main drug of abuse in 2003, compared to 155 in 2002.

A further 2,244 people said cocaine was a secondary problem drug in addition to their main drug of abuse, such as heroin. This compares to 1,716 in 2002 an increase of 30%. The two figures combined show that 2,555 people reported cocaine as one of their problem drugs in 2003, compared to 1,871 in 2002.