Ecstasy pills sell for 50p each
Ecstasy pills can be bought for as little as 50p each in some parts of Britain, according to a study by leading charity Drugscope.
The price has halved in 12 months, according to its survey of prices in 15 towns and cities.
The veterinary anaesthetic ketamine was found for sale in eight of those.
It did not feature at all in the same survey last year. The drug is legal to possess – but the government intends to make it class C before the end of 2005.
Worrying trend
Spokeswoman for Drugscope, Petra Maxwell, said its findings highlighted a worrying trend:
“It [ketamine] is a drug that is very easy to take a higher dosage than is intended, even for experienced users.
“You can get some unpleasant side effects, nausea, vomiting, and at the highest doses people can collapse and lose consciousness,” she said.
Ketamine is a general anaesthetic which has been used in hospitals and in veterinary medicine since the 1970s.
Among recreational users it is also known as K or Special K and can be in powder, tablet or liquid form.
Effects depend on the dose but users report euphoria, hallucinations and “dissociative” feelings in which mind and body seem to separate.
It can be dangerous when taken in conjunction with alcohol or other depressants and users can be unable to move or feel pain while on the drug.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that ketamine use has been gradually increasing for several years but it has only recently become popular.
“Ketamine has now established its place alongside the usual dance scene drugs like ecstasy,” said one Nottingham drugs worker.
Crack deals
The DrugScope survey – in which researchers spoke to 40 frontline drugs agencies in a range of places from Glasgow to Torquay – also found new trends in the way drugs are sold.
One common development is heroin and crack being sold together in “two for one” or other discounted deals. :sick:
And in Portsmouth the price of heroin has halved in the past year, a move accompanied by dealers advertising their wares with calling cards placed near needle exchanges.
Jason Roberts, a drugs project worker in the city, said: “We have seen a huge increase in clients [drug users] over the last 12 months.
“Portsmouth is a lovely city and there is not that much crime, but the drugs problem is massive.”
Regional differences
However, the place with the cheapest heroin was Sheffield at £25 a gram.
The survey also highlights regional differences such as the fact that crack is rarely sold in Belfast and Glasgow.
Users in these cities prefer to buy cocaine powder and convert it to crack themselves, according to drugs workers on the ground.
“We are seeing significant regional variations in both drug usage and drug markets,” said Harry Shapiro, editor of Druglink magazine which published the survey.
“The emergence of ketamine as a key substance of choice is and entirely new phenomenon since we last carried out the survey in 2004 when it didn’t figure at all.”
A Home Office spokeswoman confirmed ministers had committed to making ketamine a class C drug, alongside cannabis, by the end of this year.
DrugScope is an independent body which aims to provide expert information on drugs and to inform policy development.
