COKE HEADS AT 90
OAP addicts in hospital
THE number of oldies hospitalised after using cocaine has soared – with some users aged over 90.
In the last decade, 2,670 users aged between 60 and 99 were admitted for mental health issues due to the drug.
The problem has soared among the age group since 2011, when 115 had treatment compared to 414 last year.
And the shocking figures show the problem is also on the rise for those aged between 90 and 99.
Fourteen in that age group were admitted to hospitals in England with mental disorders due to the narcotic last year.
The NHS Digital statistics show the figure has tripled in the 10 years since 2011-12, when four were treated.
Marjorie Wallace, chief of mental health charity SANE, said it highlights that it is not just the young who are affected. She said: “These figures are a reminder that cocaine use remains socially acceptable for many, regardless of age. The overall increase in the last 10 years also strongly suggests the drug is becoming cheaper and more readily available.
“These rises are happening at a time when mental health and addiction services are desperately overstretched, leaving many struggling to access the support and treatment they need.”
The figures also show the number of people needing help after using the class A drug has doubled in a decade.
Last year, 12,564 people were treated compared with 5,881 in 2011-12.
Almost 110,105 people have needed treatment since 2011, with the vast majority of them between the ages of 20 and 49.
Cocaine use is reaching epidemic levels in Britain, with the UK being branded the “coke capital” of Europe.