Cocaine use is so widespread in the UK that traces of the illegal drug can be found in the nation’s water supply, according to a new report.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate were investigating the dangers of compounds from the pharmaceutical industry contaminating the UK’s drinking water, and found traces of benzoylecgonine, the metabolised form of cocaine, amongst a number of compounds in the water that had gone through the purification process. The scientists also found traces of ibuprofen and caffeine.
The UK has some of the highest prevalence of cocaine use in the Western world today according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report, and the discovery of traces of the drug in the water supply supports these statistics.
While the discovery of traces of cocaine should reopen debates about drug culture and criminalisation in the UK, the 4 nanograms per litre quantity of benzoylecgonine in the drinking water is unlikely to represent any danger to the public, according to Public Health England.
