London: Cocaine use in the UK is now so common that traces of the drug have contaminated the drinking water supply, a report that was quoted in The Independent said.
In a study to assess the dangers from pharmaceutical compounds appearing in the water we drink, scientists discovered traces of cocaine after it had gone through intensive purification treatments.
According to the report, experts from the drinking water inspectorate found supplies contained benzoy-lecgonine, the metabolised form of the drug that appears once it has passed through the body. It is the same compound that is looked for in urine-based drug tests for cocaine.
Steve Rolles, from the drug policy think tank Transform, told The Sunday Times that the findings were an indication of the scale of the use of the drug in Britain today.
