Transcript 20% Imported herbal cannabis

Changing Patterns and Habits of
Drug Use in the UK
Emma May & Ben Gilchrist
Harm Reduction Practitioners
Leeds Citywide Harm Reduction Service
Changing Patters and Habits of Drug Use in the UK
Recent trends of drug use
What makes some drugs more desirable
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Cannabis
Ketamine
Legal Highs
Poly drug use
Taken in last
Taken in last
year (2009/2010) year (2010/11)
Class A
Cocaine (Powder cocaine, Crack cocaine
813,000
704,000
Ecstasy
517,000
452,000
Hallucinogens (LSD, Magic mushrooms)
161,000
182,000
Opiates (Heroin, Methadone)
50,000
76,000
319,000
345,000
2,152,000
2,222,000
145,000
143,000
Anabolic Steroids
50,000
52,000
Ketamine
159,000
207,000
351,000
313,000
Class A/B
Amphetamines (Amphetamines,
Methamphetamine)
Class B
Cannabis
Class B/C
Tranquilisers
Class C
Not Classified
Amyl Nitrate
Cannabis
1989
• 70% Cannabis Resin
Wide range of imported
types available
• 20% Imported herbal
cannabis - often from
Caribbean, commanded a
higher price
• 10% home grown, oil
etc – home growers on
very small scale,
hobbyists supplying
themselves and friends
2009
• 70% + Herbal Cannabis
– Home grown; hybrids –
skunk strains White
widow, purple power,
skunk
• 20% Cannabis resin –
Primarily ‘soap’
• 10% Imported herbal –
some from Europe,
Caribbean, Africa
Cannabis Popularity
Effects: relaxing, sedating, moderately
hallucinogenic
Social status: rebellious, risk taking, gift giving,
barter, rite of passage, relationship building
Identity shaping: accessorising, fashion and
music
Coping mechanism: escapism, avoid problems,
self medicating
Cheap and available: cheaper and easier to
access than other drugs (and alcohol for under
18s)
Cannabis Cultivation
Estimates that 60-70% of UK cannabis is
now grown locally
Home-growing moving away from cottage
industry and becoming a bigger gang-led
industry
Main crop is high-yield, fast maturing
cannabis
Cannabis Cultivation
Spend £419.99 on
setup.
Setup 14 plants in
tent provided.
Grow for 3 months.
Harvest 5oz per plant,
a total of 70oz.
Sell for £150 per oz.
Earn £10,500 which
equals £10,080.01
profit.
Spend £419.99 + 3 months = £10,500
Easy money!!
Ketamine
Appearance: Comes in liquid form which is
usually injected. The illegally produced version
usually comes as a grainy white powder which is
usually snorted but it may also be obtained as a
tablet.
Classification and Law: Class C
Street Names :Green, K, special K, super K,
vitamin k
Prices: : average £10- £20 per gm
Method of use: snort, swallow, inject
Ketamine
Effects: Perceptual changes or hallucinations like LSD,
reduces bodily sensation. Trips can last up to an hour
with after-effects for some hours. It can give the user a
floating feeling as if the mind and body have been
separated.
Risks: Users may be physically incapable of moving
while under the influence. Can cause panic attacks,
depression, and taken in large doses, can make existing
mental health problems worse. Suppresses breathing
and heart function and can lead to unconsciousness.
The anaesthetic effect can result in death, for example
due to unconsciousness and inhalation of vomit. Serious
bladder and related problems
Ketamine
Our service users find that ketamine helps with
cramps and pains they experience, so they start
to self medicate
Dependence seems to grow with self medication
– service users have reported concerns in
stopping their use and how to manage their
pain.
Over 30% of ketamine users in our service are
female.
Mephedrone
Other names: M-Cat, Bubbles, Drone, Meow
meow
Appearance: white grainy powder,
soluble/insoluble
Average price:£20 per gm
Effects: similar effect to synthetic stimulants,
increased alertness, can cause hallucinations
and paranoia, the high can be better and longer
lasting than cocaine (self-reported).
Mephedrone continued:
Difficult to estimate exact effects as many
individuals take it with cannabis, ketamine,
ecstasy and/or alcohol.
Health risks: sweating, headaches,
tachycardia, palpitations, nausea, chest
pain, bruxism (teeth grinding),
agitation/aggression and paranoia,
significant nasal irritation, can be
addictive.
Jolly Green Granules
Looks like little green balls
Crushed up and snorted or dissolved in
water and drank
£18 per gram
Stimulant effects like MDMA
Benzo Fury (6-APB)
Brown type coloured powder
Also comes in pellets or capsules
Can be snorted, drank, or swallowed
£35 for 5 pellets
Stimulant/hallucinogenic effects like
MDMA/LSD
Methoxetamine
Also known as MXE and MKET
Usually Snorted
Cost £16 per gram
Similar effects to Ketamine
Being marketed as a “bladder friendly”
alternative to Ketamine
Law around Legal Highs
Drugs sold as ‘Legal Highs’ may contain substances that
are illegal to posses
The Government has introduced new powers, meaning
they can place a temporary ban on any potentially harmful
substance, while they await a recommendation from the
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), on
whether it should be permanently controlled under the
Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
The temporary ban will come into immediate effect, but it
will have to be agreed by Parliament within 40 days. The
drug will not be Class A, B, or C, but called a temporary
class drug. It would not be illegal to posses, but the police
could confiscate it and destroy it. It will be illegal to import,
distribute and sell the drug , and anyone caught could be
fined, sent to jail or both.
http://www.talktofrank.com
Drugs on the Internet
How easy is it to buy drugs on the
internet?
Search engines
Legal High Forums
Websites like plant labz, party plant and echemicals, erowid and many, many more!
Poly- substance use
‘Recreational’ drug use and prevalence of
alcohol
Cocaine and Alcohol = Cocaethylene
combination of stimulants, legal highs and
ketamine