Pages 4 and 5 of ‘The Times’ today report on the rise in popularity of cocaine, stating that users in the 16-24 year-old age bracket have rocketed fivefold in the past 13 years.
One user says: “Cocaine might be dangerous in the way that your average ‘Daily Mail’ reader thinks, but it’s really not that bad.”
What do you think?
Have you ever been offered cocaine, or any other drug, on the student social scene in Belfast?
Very easy. In my first year outside Elms a guy came up to me and handed me a card and told me to ring for ‘what ever I needed’ *nudge, nudge* including coke, LSD and X! Seeing that the only drug I had up to this point was paracetamol I said no.
But throughout my years @ Queen’s I’ve seen and been offered a lot of drugs, especially on nights out and at house parties. I even know people who would do drugs to save money! One x tab for 3 quid vs 30 quid on a night out sometimes you could see where they were coming from.
Well other than Shine nights, the SU seem to have a pretty tight and effective drugs policy.
About the Daily Mail, I remember reading a story they had in the summer about a godson of Prince Charles who had become addicted to heroin “despite his privileged upbringing”. Surely being brought up without ever having to do a day’s work or hold a position of responsibility can only act to facilitate a narcotics habit?
I hear that mephadone (sp?) is popular with students. I think it looks like cocaine. It seems that students take it because cocaine has a glamorous image and so, due to mephadone looking like it, it’s as though they are cool, camden-esque indie dudes…for want of a better description. I don’t understand it all. I hear that it doesn’t even give you a great feeling…Why bother? Is looking “cool” such an attraction? Cocaine/lookylikeys certainly aren’t confined to the working class.
Cocaine has been largely overtaken by an assortment of “legal” alternatives and mephadrone is quickly creeping its way onto the Belfast social scene at the moment.I struggle to find a bar these days that doesn’t have people snorting white powder out of little plastic baggies in the corner.
You can see the attraction, it’s cheap( in relation to cocaine or ectasy),”legal” and easily available(it is currently sold online under the description of plant fertilizer) so I suppose it’s hardly surprising that mephadrone spreading around the city so rapidly.
I think the Gown should raise awareness about the dangers of these so called ” legal highs”. “Legal” of course in the sense that the law hasn’t caught up with the fact that people have started to snort plant fertilizers up their noses and not in the sense that it’s not doing you any damage, which seems to be the popular belief amoung the “cool” kids or “meph-heads” as they have no become known. It’s five times more addictive than crystal meth and more you take the more you need. I’ve watched people become skinny hollow shells of their former selfs, losing jobs and friends off the back of this seemingly “harmless” powder. I think it’s about time everyone wised up to how much damage it can do.
Also I agree that it is of course that drug abuse is not a working class habit.An informed person would know that those most likely to be involved in misusing drugs as recent statistics have shown are actually doctors with lawyers not far behind. Not only are these the people who can afford to blow their wages on getting high but high stress jobs lead people to look for a road out and that might be a few lines in the office to keep you on top of your game during a night shift or a high profile case.
It is these kind of social misconceptions that lead to the ongoing failure by the government of properly tackling drugs issues in the first place.
I think the government has been pretty terrible at communicating a coherent drugs message because it has consistently ignored the advice of experts.
Cocaine is very dangerous.
I am a student at Queen’s and I had some troubles with drugs, but specifically the distinction between ‘drugs’ and ‘alcohol’ and all of these are expensive and very dangerous and cost me more than the 600 quid I ended up spending because I was high. I urge anyone who has considered using for a laugh to seriously check their facts. The Frank website (http://www.talktofrank.com/home_html.aspx) is great if you aren’t getting information and answers that you want and the GP’s at the UHC – University Health Centre – are always happy to listen – let alone the counselling service. The hardest is stepping away from feeling normal, but honestly do not let yourself be pressured into this.
Think first, please; it isn’t worth the pain and the damage.