Cocaine found on 11% of UK banknotes

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Source: The Guardian

More than one in every 10 banknotes in circulation in Britain is contaminated with cocaine, police drug experts have said.

An official inquiry into the use of cocaine carried out by the Home Office's advisory council for the misuse of drugs (ACMD) has been told that 11% of banknotes in general circulation test positive for traces of cocaine, against 4% in 2005.

The finding, based on regular testing by 15 police forces, reinforces surveys that show use of cocaine powder in Britain is the highest in Europe, and is above levels seen in the US and Australia. Police experts told the first evidence session of the delayed ACMD inquiry on Thursdaythat cocaine now being sold on the streets and in clubs was being cut with MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine) – the active ingredient in ecstasy.

They suggested longer pub hours since 2006 may have contributed to the rise, as cocaine powder is widely used by 20-something men on a night out to carry on drinking without falling asleep.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/dec/01/cocaine-on-british-banknotes

[Bosonic]

1. Slackers

90 percent of U.S. bills carry traces of cocaine

The term "dirty money" is for real.

In the course of its average 20 months in circulation, U.S. currency gets whisked into ATMs, clutched, touched and traded perhaps thousands of times at coffee shops, convenience stores and newsstands. And every touch to every bill brings specks of dirt, food, germs or even drug residue.

Research presented this weekend reinforced previous findings that 90 percent of paper money circulating in U.S. cities contains traces of cocaine.

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-08-14/health/cocaine.traces.money_1_cocaine-dollar-bills-paper-bills?_s=PM:HEALTH