Today’s newspaper, Le Parisien, is publishing a special report on the rise in cocaine consumption across all social classes in France. The situation worries the medical community in the country, which is watching the growth of addicts to this drug, including young people.
The newspaper Le Parisien says the price of cocaine from South America has fallen over the past decade and has gained new followers. French police arrest drug smugglers every week at Paris airports and train stations. In 2021 alone, two tons of drugs arrived in the French capital by air last year, 20 tons across France.
According to the report, cocaine is the second most consumed drug by the French after cannabis, regularly used by more than 2 million people, even “by top athletes”. In twenty years, the number of users has been multiplied by four, the article emphasizes.
Among the general population, recreational use ranges from “partying” or the executive of a company using cocaine to keeping up with the pace of business, said a drug user at Le Parisien.
The Daily states that cocaine, which was reserved for the elite in the 1980s, is now popular all over social media. The substance is sold by drug dealers in mouths on the outskirts of the French capital or delivered directly to their homes, according to orders placed by Telegram groups that even accept payments with Bitcoin.
Cocaine dealers bet on youth
Amine Benyamina, president of the French Additives Federation, worries the medical community by confirming that France is experiencing a “cocaine epidemic” in an interview with the newspaper. At the Paul-Brousse Hospital in Villejuif, on the outskirts of Paris, Benyamina is the head of the psychiatric ward, and according to him, one out of every two patients with addiction problems uses this drug.
The specialist is particularly concerned with the arrival of the substance in schools. According to him, his youngest patients are 16, 17 years old.
The doctor explains that the big problem is that there is no specific treatment for cocaine. Additive, the drug can quickly cause psychiatric, neurological and cardiovascular problems. However, the substance is still viewed as a “festive” and not too dangerous drug, according to Benyamina.
The expansion of human trafficking does not appear to be limited to France. According to the UN’s latest report on cocaine, world drug production doubled between 2014 and 2019, reaching nearly 1,800 tonnes, the highest level ever recorded.
source: Noticias
