Clubbers switch to cheap cocaine

LONDON CLUBBERS are rejecting ecstasy amid growing fears about the dangers of the drug and switching to cocaine as its market price falls, according to a new survey.

Researchers from the Institute for the Study of Drug Dependence say that cocaine is increasingly viewed as a fashionable substitute for ecstasy and amphetamines, the two drugs most often linked to the club scene.

Young people in London are said to be switching to it as prices of the drug, traditionally associated with rock stars and the jet set, tumble. About half of a group of 350 recreational drug users aged between 16 and 22 said they had tried cocaine, a Class A drug which can lead to mental breakdown. Only 1 per cent said they had taken heroin, another Class A drug. "Cocaine may be becoming a popular choice for young drug users in the capital, who worry about the quality and dangers associated with ecstasy and who regard amphetamines as a poor substitute," say researchers.