Who uses it?

• Use is not associated with any particular age group. Cocaine use attracts people for its immediate effects - increased alertness and energy, decreased social inhibitions and heightened sexuality.

• Heavy cocaine use can lead to extreme agitation, paranoia, unpredictable or violent and aggressive behaviour, sexual dysfunction and psychosis.

• A major increase in cocaine use in Sydney from 1998 onwards has been primarily among existing heroin users. The type of cocaine being used is cocaine powder by injection. The smoking of crystalline cocaine (crack) has been rare.'

• Advice from the field indicates an increase in the use of cocaine more recently, possibly due to the current shortage of heroin in Sydney.

Current trends

• Price: Current price at about $200 per gram; $50 per cap.

• Availability: Cocaine availability is higher in NSW than in other states.

• Purity: Average purity of cocaine in NSW in 2000/2001 was around 45%. (1)

Statistics (1)

• In NSW in 2001, the prevalence of cocaine as the last drug injected amongst injecting drug users increased from 10% to 36%.

• Over the last few years in NSW, there has been around an 80% increase in arrests for the use and/or possession of cocaine.

Treatment

• The Drug and Alcohol Services of the local Area Health Service, non-government organisations and General Practitioners provide counselling and treatment services for cocaine users.

Services can be accessed by ringing:

Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS) - 24hr hotline
Tel: (02) 9361 8000
Toll free: 1800 422 599

What is NSW Health doing?

• Clinicians are being further educated about treatment for cocaine use.

• A Clinical Consultant at St Vincent's Hospital is to be appointed to support clinicians in the treatment of cocaine problems.

• Funding of $215,000 per year has been provided for three years for telephone counselling, referral and support to Kids Help Line.

• Information resources have been provided as part of the Young Offenders Act Cautioning Scheme to ensure young people receive appropriate information when being cautioned by police.

• A 'one-stop-shop' Service Delivery Model for young people in rural areas has been developed. The focus is on providing youth-friendly spaces, targeting information, recreation activities and access to services such as counselling and referral.

• A Cocaine Fact Sheet has been developed for clinicians.

1 Source: Australian Illicit Drug Report 1999-2000, Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence, Commonwealth of Australia 2001