French weekly magazine L’Obs dedicates this weekend’s cover to the “cocaine tsunami”, “the second most used drug in France after cannabis”, which French writer and former addict Frédéric Beigbeder portrayed as a regrettable poster child. The “powder”, nicknamed “la blanche” (the white in Portuguese) in the most active circles, has become a drug without borders, doubling its world production in just five years to 1,784 tons. .
French weekly magazine L’Obs He dedicated this weekend’s cover to the “cocaine tsunami”, “the second most consumed drug in France after cannabis”, of which French writer and former addict Frédéric Beigbeder is a remorseful poster child. The “powder”, nicknamed “la blanche” (the white in Portuguese) in the most active circles, has become a drug without borders, doubling its world production in just five years to 1,784 tons. .
“No pandemic, no war, no political or economic crisis seems to have had an impact on cocaine production,” says the French magazine. L’Obs this week. The report emphasizes that the major French ports did not pass unscathed to “this expanding sector”.
According to a report published in March 2022 by the Inter-ministerial Mission Against Drugs and Addictive Behaviors (Mildeca), cocaine use is a phenomenon that affects all social classes in France.
Previously reserved for the French upper classes, “the democratization of cocaine began in the 2000s and accelerated from 2010,” explains L’.note David Weinberger, co-director of the International Crime Observatory at the French Institute for Strategic International Relations. According to him, “with increased production and the phenomenon of mass trade, the product has become much more accessible”.
“Some TV series may have also helped to downplay cocaine, especially among younger people,” says the researcher, “whose sales circuits have also evolved.” “Previously, cocaine trafficking was separate from cannabis. But from 2015, 2016, surrounding cannabis dealers started offering cocaine,” explains Weinberger. The arrival of new smugglers in rural and French environments confirms the “cocaine tsunami,” the magazine reported.
“Clean” and Charming
Without a sound, cocaine was the second most consumed drug in the country, according to the French Observatory on Drugs and Addiction Trends (OFDT).
“The number of people aged 11 to 75 who tried cocaine in France was estimated at 2.1 million in 2017, much higher than the nearly 600,000 self-reported users. Up to four in 20 years,” the magazine says.
“France is part of Europe’s cocaine consumption trend, which has become an important market,” says L’Obs. The increase in the supply of white powder has led to a decrease in prices – costs about 1 gram? Compared to 70 currently? 150s of the 1990s – and also to the development of delivery services, facilitated by the explosion of messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram.
“Despite being less elitist, cocaine retains its clean and attractive image, especially among young people, so few people are aware of the health risks posed by its consumption,” he concludes. L’Obs.
source: Noticias
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