Cocaine abuse is no longer a class thing

The use and abuse of cocaine is no longer a pastime of society's elite and wealthy, but a drug now commonly used by all social strata, according to Antoni Parets, the director of the Programa Horabaixa, the rehabilitation programme launched a year ago by Projecte Home. Partes said yesterday that the widespread use of cocaine is one of the conclusions to studies carried out on the characteristics of the 81 people currently on the detoxification programme. While the programme has yet to run its course of 16 to 18 months before any conclusive results can be collated, the president of Projecte Home in the Balearics and at a national level, Tomeu Catalá, said yesterday that with the programme at the end of its first year, it would be an appropriate time to take stock of what has been achieved so far. The average age of the 81 cocaine users on the programme is 29, but the age gap ranges from 22 to 48 and 94 per cent are male. The idea of this particular programme, which operates in the evening, is to provide a service for people who for either work, family or social commitments are unable to attend day centres.