Professionals, students and clubbers are said to be behind a new 'hidden cohort' of users taking the substance.
Latest estimates show a"statistically significant" increase of 8.5% in the number of crack cocaine users in England between 2011/2012 and 2016/2017, from 166,640 to 180,748, according to the review.
Service users said that crack use was"beginning to become more acceptable, even fashionable among groups who would not previously have taken it", the report said. The investigation identified several factors which may have influenced the rise in crack-use, including increased availability and affordability of crack.
In the other areas, police and treatment workers believed local criminal groups were too well established to allow so-called"county lines" gangs to gain a foothold. It was also suggested by some respondents that the stigma associated with using crack had declined, while the analysis noted that global production of cocaine has surged since 2013.
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