The UK Focal Point annual report reported that crack cocaine purity in England and Wales rose from 36% to 71% over the same period. The 2018 World Drug Report by the United Nations Office for Drugs Control ( UNODC) showed a 56% increase in global cocaine production between 20. There have also been significant increases in cocaine production and purity. PHE’s latest data on infections and risks among people who inject drugs found an increase in crack use, from 39% in 2013 to 53% in 2017.
The latest substance misuse treatment data from Public Health England ( PHE) showed a 19% increase in the number of adults starting treatment for crack cocaine (with and without opiates) in England between the years 2015 to 20 to 2018.
Crack users still account for a very small proportion of the population, at a rate of 5.1 crack users per 1,000 people in England. The latest estimates of opiate and crack use found a statistically significant increase of 8.5% in the number of crack cocaine users in England between 2011 to 20 to 2017 (from 166,640 to 180,748). This increase follows a general downward trend in crack cocaine use since 2005 to 2006, particularly among younger age groups. In recent years, evidence from several data sources has indicated a rise in the use of crack cocaine in England. Introduction 1.1 Evidence that crack use, production and purity is increasing