Brits are the ‘biggest cocaine users in Europe’ with 1 in 37 dabbling with the drug every year

BRITS are the biggest cocaine users in Europe, according to a report.

Figures for England and Wales suggest 2.7 per cent of 15 to 64-year-olds use the drug each year.

Cocaine can seriously damage your heart, lungs and mental healthGetty

It is equal to around 1.02million of us, or one in every 37 people.

Use is twice as high among men as women, with one in 26 blokes admitting to it compared to one in 63 women.

The statistics from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development rank us highest in Europe and second out of 41 countries in the developed world, lower only than Australia on 4.2 per cent.

Professor Ian Hamilton, a drug expert at the University of York, said: “Drug use is driven by price and availability and cocaine is better value than it’s ever been.

“In the UK £10 to £20 would buy you enough for a few lines for a night out – that’s the price of a cocktail or a couple of pints.

“At the same time it’s become more available and more potent.”

He said the drug is everywhere in pub toilets, nightclubs and football grounds and most people get it off a friend on a night out.

Dr Niall Campbell, a psychiatrist at the Priory rehab hospital in Roehampton, added: “Cocaine use is pretty much an epidemic at the moment. 

“It’s not a drug of the moneyed classes anymore, everybody wants it. 

“If you go to a football match, at half time there’s a queue of young men going into the loo to use cocaine.

“It’s as quick to get cocaine as it is to order a pizza.

“I’ve been at the Priory for 23 years and use has been on the increase and it’s become more socially acceptable.”

The drug is Class A and users can get up to seven years in jail for possession and up to a life sentence for dealing, plus unlimited fines.

Cocaine damages your heart and can cause irregular heartbeats or even deadly cardiac arrest, as well as disrupting your breathing.

It is also addictive and bad for mental health, potentially leading to depression, aggressive behaviour and paranoia.

Supply is controlled by killer criminal gangs who smuggle it into the country and recruit youngsters for violent ‘county lines’ networks.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics this week showed 872 people died of cocaine poisoning in England and Wales in 2021 – more than double the 369 in 2015.

Deaths from all drugs are at a record high with 4,907 last year.

Switzerland this week revealed it is considering legalising cocaine because use is so out of control and “the war on drugs has failed”.

A UK Home Office spokesperson said: “Our 10-year drug strategy, backed by a record £3billion of investment, is tackling the supply of illicit drugs whilst building a world class system of treatment for those who abuse drugs to help turn their life around.

“This is a whole-of-government strategy and we are committed to supporting people who suffer from the clutches of addiction and the vulnerable people who are exploited by gangs to fuel their violent trade.”