Cocaine helped fuel the riots – but there’s more to the story

The prime minister and cabinet have made clear their ambition to ensure that those caught rioting will be placed before the courts quickly. The “full force of the law” will be applied, not only as punishment but to serve as a deterrent to anyone thinking of getting involved in the unrest that has spread through our cities over the last week. As the details of the offences emerge, several of those charged with violence are also charged with possessing the class A drug cocaine.

In many ways, cocaine lends itself to those who are involved in rioting. It is a stimulant which not only gives you energy and confidence but distorts beliefs and is disinhibiting. Any strongly held views and feelings are amplified under the influence of cocaine. It is, in a twisted way, the perfect drug to facilitate the kind of behaviour we are seeing at the moment.

We know that social media has been the conduit for not only transmitting information about where and when far-right thinkers can gather but has fuelled their prejudice and endorsed their perception of immigration and the threat this poses to them and their communities. Add in easy access to cocaine, and you have all the ingredients needed to bring people out onto the streets and cause the violent, senseless destruction we have witnessed.

Unlike in the 1980s and 1990s, cocaine is no longer a drug of the wealthy – it has become a “good value” drug. Its price has reduced, while its purity or strength has increased. During a cost of living crisis where the price of so many staples has increased, cocaine has bucked the trend by becoming cheaper and more potent than ever.

The annual survey of drug use conducted by the Office for National Statistics bears testament to just how widespread and popular cocaine has become. If we cannot keep cocaine out of our prisons – arguably some of the most tightly controlled environments in the UK – what chance do we have of preventing it from being available in our communities?

But it isn’t just illegal drugs – alcohol also plays a factor. Cocaine and alcohol are often used in conjunction with one another, as the latter can enhance the effect of the former (though mixing any illegal drug with alcohol is dangerous).

Some of these rioters will no doubt blame cocaine for their actions and try to excuse their bigotry on the drug but the truth is that cocaine does not alter your beliefs and principles – it merely amplifies existing ones. Cocaine, like alcohol, alters judgement but it does not create new beliefs. If you already held racist views, these are emboldened but they are not created under the influence of either drug.

As the use of cocaine spreads in our society, so too does its normalisation. It is no longer just a party drug and for some people, it has become almost as common as having a pint. While it remains illegal, its status as a class A drug appears to have done little to deter its widespread use.

While the immediate challenge is to prevent those who are rioting from using cocaine to embolden their illegal activity, there is a longer-term challenge for this government. Having failed to prevent the widespread use of cocaine in the UK, the time has come to rethink our policy approach to this and other drugs. While we may have succeeded in controlling the riots, cocaine use remains out of control; the strong link that exists between the two means that the one cannot be considered truly stamped out until the other is also properly regulated.

Ian Hamilton is a senior lecturer in addiction and mental health at the University of York