In Europe particularly, cocaine is back and wildly popular.
For many years low-level wholesalers sold around 50% pure cocaine in ounces for around £700 but mid 2006 the same wholesalers were selling what they claimed was uncut cocaine for £1000 per ounce.
It's definitely targetted at more affluent users if the age of those seeking help is a guide. People in their 30s and 40s make up a large majority.
I provided the link just to make people in Europe aware.
I would GUESS it's because cocaine interdiction has improved and until now 'stupid Europeans' who had never sampled pure cocaine accepted what HR agencies term 'ASBO Coke' so impure product was being smuggled or at least cut en route. So halving the VOLUME of shipments halve is a good stratergy as funding is only sustained until interdiction goes down which seems to be the metric of success. If a politician can announce the number of cocaine seizures has harved, it makes them look good and makes them more comfortable in cutting finanical support for it's interdication.
Yes, I KNOW it's insane - but the vast majority of people don't use cocaine so would likey believe the 'war on drugs' is being won.
Meanwhile users are paying twice as much for a product that will form an addiction faster, I assume.
