Cocaine arrives quicker than pizza in some places
LONDON – More than 30% of cocaine users in England can get the drug delivered faster than a pizza, according to a survey published Wednesday.
It found that 37% can get the illegal substance within 30 minutes — a figure that compares with 12% who said they would be able to have a pizza delivered in that time.
The findings were published by the Global Drug Survey, an independent research organization based in London. For the survey, 1,000 cocaine users were questioned.
The timings place England fifth in the world rankings behind Colombia (37%), Denmark (39%), the Netherlands (40%) and first-place Brazil (45%).
The United States placed 11th at 24%.
Globally, of 15,000 cocaine users surveyed, 30% said they would be able to get cocaine delivered within half an hour or less compared with 17% of users who said they could get a pizza delivered in that time.
The survey notes that there is wide regional variation in delivery times.
It also points out that drug dealers are increasingly concerned not just about the quality of their product, but about how to get it to customers quickly and as safely as possible.
"With many cities covered with CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras, traditional street dealing is becoming less attractive to many suppliers and consumers. On the other hand, dark net markets allow drugs to be delivered through your letterbox and the rise of encrypted social media platforms makes ordering relatively safe," the survey says.
"It's not surprising that the next customer service upgrade was going to be the growth of sophisticated and rapid drug delivery services in many of our big cities."
New Zealand is the most expensive country in the world to purchase cocaine, at $250 per gram. The cheapest is Colombia ($6). The average cost in the U.S. is about $66.
Cocaine users in Scotland consume more of the drug on any one occasion — about 1.2 grams — than any other group around the world, according to the survey.