Cocaine. Charlie. Coke. The drug fueling
nights out. The drug that is spreading throughout the bars and clubs of London.
The expensive addiction. The sign that you are making it.
According to a report published in May by
the European Monitory Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), London is
the cocaine capital of Europe. Nationally, Government figures tell the same
story. Home office statistics suggest that one in twelve people took an illegal
drug last year. Cocaine was the second most popular. Three per cent of 16 to 24
year olds had taken it in the previous year.
“It’s an edifying experience”, Lawrence
says inside his apartment on Camden High Street. “You can wake up the next day
and still have a well-fulfilled and functioning life. With coke you can pop in
to a party, have a line, and then go out to the cinema or do your shopping.
“I truly believe that you can lead a far more successful
and high achieving career as a recreational cocaine user than by dabbling in
cannabis. And besides, to be honest, cocaine users are normally already on their
way to a high-powered career so it doesn’t have such an effect on us. It’s
really a drug for the brash extroverts.”
According to drug charity Frank an average
gram of coke trades at £42 on the street. Lawrence and his flatmate Harry say that a good
gram will cost you between £80-100, depending on your relationship and history
with the dealer.
Twentysomethings Roger and Simon are similarly
enthusiastic about the drug's potential.
“It’s the perk, the pick
me up”, Roger beams, his eyes lighting up at the drug’s first mention. “Coke is
the only thing that gives you that without all of the other shit. I just really, really like it. For me, it’s like having a coffee or
something. I’m at home chilling, have a bit of coke; I’m going out, have a bit
of coke. It’s perfect for all situations.”
“Any other drug is such a
game changer”, Simon agrees. “Once you take them you are gone for six hours.
You can go to the pub for a quiet drink, have a line of coke, and still go to
bed at a sensible time.”
That’s not to say that it is all good. This
isn’t a tangible soma leading people into a pure blissful state. It’s not a Whisper bar. It’s a chemical.
“It’s like eating too much
sugar”, Simon Says. “Sometimes you feel like shit for ages afterwards, because
it’s wrecking your immune system and wearing you out. I really struggled with
work when I was doing a lot of drugs.”
Roger, who works in the music industry, also worries about the effect it has had on his career. “If I
have a big session the night before it hampers me at work and I do a shit job.
Coming up with new ideas is really difficult if you’re really tired and you’ve
taken a load of drugs.”
Even heavy-user Lawrence
conceded that cocaine will leave you feeling a bit “stale”.
The drugs effect is also not
quite the hidden mecca that some believe it to be. Harry, also a city solicitor, is
unconvinced: “It’s not that good, it really isn’t it. Ecstasy is much, much better. You
feel so much more alive. You actually want to talk to people. With coke, after the first few goes it's just
scratching an itch. It clicks and you drop off, which just leaves you feeling
really flat.”
Lawrence also believes that people taking
cocaine can become insufferable to non-users. “It’s groundhog day on cocaine
basically. It’s a drug that breeds habit and you normally find yourself stuck
in the same conversations that you’ve had with people before. You’re talking at
each other rather than with each other. It can be quite unappealing for people
who don’t take cocaine.”
Cocaine is a Class A drug. Lawrence and
Harry are both solicitors. According to the government taking drugs is criminal
activity. It’s dangerous. It can kill you. Erode your nose. Something doesn’t
add up. What about the consequences?
“It’s different to the way the media
portray it”, Harry points out. “It feels a lot safer to begin with. And I’ve
never experienced people overdosing on it.”
“You’d have to take a hell of
a lot”, Simon reasons, “You’d have to be really going for it.”
“It’s an economic point” Lawrence says, “We
simply can’t buy enough cocaine to overdose on it.”
None of them have experienced problems with
the law. A few things have been confiscated at club doors, there have been some
close shaves with bouncers, but the police are generally absent from all of
their stories. Why?
“I don’t think the police
are going to be losing any sleep over you or I buying some coke”, Simon
reasons. “I think they’ve got more important things to worry about than some
nice middle-class white kids buying a few grams of coke and staying in and
having a good time.”
Cocaine possession can
lead to a maximum jail sentence of seven years and/or an unlimited fine.
The police did once catch Roger outside a club taking a few drugs. Police just laughed at them. “They said to
us: ‘Why are clever boys like you doing silly things like that?’ I couldn’t
believe it.” No criminal action. The police simply threw the drugs away.
Lawrence and Harry warn about
the consequences of doing coke anywhere near their workplace, but they
definitely suspect that other people in the industry are doing it. Heavily.
At Roger's workplace forays into drugs aren’t only met with impunity, they are
welcomed. Maybe even encouraged. “I’ve done coke with my boss”, Roger says.
“Multiple times.”
“People are always coming into work
spangled out of their minds on coke. It seems to be almost a legitimate excuse
for being late for work. ‘Oh sorry, I was out all night doing coke.’” He laughs.
“Everyone understands.”Roger and Simon have no plans to stop soon
and are not worried about the potential legal or medical complications.
“In life”, Simon says, “you have to limit yourself to one addiction. You might as well make it something good like coke.”
Roger agrees: “My plan is to work harder now so I can work my way to the top and
then just sit around and take drugs. That’s the point of life, isn’t it?’
Roger's flat is less overtly
flash than Lawrence and Harry’s, but the clues are still there. State of the art
sound system; vintage guitars lined up on the walls; Ray-Ban sunglasses
scattered around like children’s toys; Apple products and state of the art
headphones; lines of white powder. Cocaine is the latest addition to the young
professionals arsenal of gadgets and accessories. And it isn’t going anywhere
soon.
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