Many Britons are likely to celebrate a white Christmas regardless of the weather — as figures show the UK has the second highest rates of cocaine use in the world.
One in 40 adults in the UK take the class A drug, which is more than any other country in Europe and behind only Australia globally.
Experts say high use of the powder — known by its nickname ‘snow’ — is fuelled by the UK’s binge drinking culture, with many taking the stimulant to counteract the sedative effects of alcohol.
Once the preserve of high society, it is now widely used across all social classes, as its price has fallen in real terms over the past decade and it can be delivered ‘as quickly as a pizza’.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) compiled a global league table of cocaine use based on latest data from 36 countries.
Hellbound and Down 