1000s in East Anglia addicted to crack and opiates
26 April 2019, 09:13 | Updated: 26 April 2019, 09:16
It is estimated more than 7,500 people in Norfolk and Suffolk are addicted to crack cocaine and opiates like Heroin.
The figures from Public Health England don't even include anyone using cocaine in powder form, amphetamines, ecstasy or cannabis.
But they reveal an alarming number of teenage users.
The data is based on users identified between 1st March 2016 and 31st March 2017.
It shows a rise of around a quarter in the number of addicts in the East of England in just five years.
Experts have warned of the drugs being available at "pocket money prices".
"Crack rocks can be purchased for as little as a fiver with dealers available any time of day at the click of a button," said Eytan Alexander, the CEO of UK Addiction Treatment.
"Teenagers misusing crack and opiates at such an early age will not only suffer with the physical effects of the drugs, but the drugs could impact their education, overall achievement in life and expose them to a criminal environment at a young age, without full understanding of the risks and consequences of their actions."
