Cocaine and Crack - Preferences

Virtually all crack users have also used powder cocaine, only around 20% of powder cocaine users have ever smoked crack.

Consolidated 1998/1999 data

Ever/Never used (drug)	Never used Crack	Ever used Crack	Totals:
Never used Cocaine	1519	11	1530
Ever used Cocaine	1381	309	1690
Totals:	2900	320	3220

Initiation to cocaine/crack

The graph below shows the relative rates of initiation (first use) of drugs by year, i.e. the ration of the number first using a particular drug, to the expected number based on age and average age at first use of respondents during a particular year. The relationship breaks down in the most recent 3 years due to the way the formula works (last updated with 1998 data), but shows higher than average rates of heroin initiation from 1974-84, and higher rates of crack initiation from 1989-95.

Attitudes to Crack & Cocaine (Subjective Ratings)

Respondents were asked to give drugs ratings (marks out of ten), with 10 being the most positive, and 0 the most negative response (5 being neutral). Attitudes towards both cocaine and crack had become generally more positive in 1999 compared to recent years, suggesting the drug to be gaining social acceptability among drug users.

Year	1994	1997	1998	1999
Cocaine	5.47	5.55	5.70	6.17
Crack	2.09	2.06	1.82	2.53

Effects of an arrest on attitudes towards, and use of cocaine/crack.

Those who had been arrested for drug offences gave significantly higher ratings for crack than those who had clean records.

Crack - effect of arrest on attitudes
Arrest	Cannabis	No	Yes	Totals
Other	No	1.87	2.59	2.03
drug	Yes	4.06	2.82	3.07
	Totals	1.92	2.65	2.11

Drug Use Status by Drug Arrest History
	Arrested respondents							"Clean" respondents
Drug	Current users	Might use	Never use	Ceased using	Current users	Might use	Never use	Ceased using
Cocaine	490	24	93	79	1037	197	469	121
Crack	110	37	317	37	151	91	1053	35
Heroin	209	32	263	61	237	91	1002	61
Bliss/Semeron	7	29	147	9	17	57	540	9
base	840				2782

Arrested/Clean ratios
Drug	Total Users	Might Use	Never Use	Given up
Cocaine	1.56	0.40	0.66	2.16
Crack	2.41	1.35	1.00	3.50
Heroin	2.92	1.16	0.87	3.31
Bliss/Semeron	1.36	1.69	0.90	3.31

Those who had been "busted" for drugs offences were significanty more likely to be using heroin or crack cocaine, and were 35% more likely to be willing to try crack cocaine (and 69% more likely to be willing to try an unknown (fictitous) drug) than users with clean records. Nearly 50% of crack users first tried the drug after being arrested for offences involving other drugs.

Independent Drug Monitoring Unit

Cocaine and Crack - Preferences

Initiation to cocaine/crack

Attitudes to Crack & Cocaine (Subjective Ratings)

Effects of an arrest on attitudes towards, and use of cocaine/crack.