Young women are increasingly requiring treatment for cocaine addiction after developing a drug habit in their teens or early twenties, figures suggest.
Although heroin and crack addiction is declining, the number of cocaine-dependent women under 35 entering treatment has increased by 60 per cent in the past four years.
Data from the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse shows that 1,645 women entered treatment for cocaine dependence for the first time in 2008-09, but three quarters were under 35.
Although this is far fewer than the 15,440 women seeking treatment for heroin and crack dependence last year, those aged 18 to 25 dependent on cocaine were the fastest-growing group being treated. The average age of first use of cocaine was 21, the agency said.
In all, 56,500 women were treated for drug addiction last year, or one in four of the total adults in treatment in England.
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Martin Barnes, chief executive of the charity DrugScope, said: “These figures are a reminder that cocaine use and cocaine problems cut across genders. Recent evidence shows a marked increase in the number of women and men using the drug, meaning that the number of people seeking help for cocaine-related problems is likely to continue.
“Although the latest figures highlight an increase in the number of women accessing support, cocaine use remains higher among men and there has been an even greater increase in the number of males contacting treatment services.”