– I can understand that some people think it’s cool to stand in the bathroom and snort with the guys, but is it really worth it, asks Noah Waag. According to the 19-year-old who studies in Oslo, he experiences that the use of cocaine has skyrocketed both among friends and acquaintances in the last two years. Almost every party he attends, Waag experiences someone pulling out the white powder. – After trying it the first time, the threshold for doing it again is very small. I have experienced that several people I know who were only going to try it once, now use it regularly, he says. Noah Waag believes society must soon react to the increasing use of cocaine. Photo: Amanda Iversen Orlich / news – Seeing a clear increase On Monday, the survey Ung i Oslo came out. The survey examines how children and young people in Oslo municipality experience growing up in the capital, and looks at everything from bullying to drug problems. Although the survey shows that the vast majority of young people in Oslo are doing well, it also shows that cocaine use among young people has skyrocketed. – We see a clear increase in the last five years in how many of the oldest teenagers answer that they have used cocaine, says researcher Anders Bakken, at the Welfare Research Institute NOVA. According to Bakken, there is more cocaine use in certain environments, such as party environments on the western edge of Oslo. – Many of those who have tried cocaine say that they have tried it once or a few times. We still take the increase in reporting seriously, he says. Cocaine is an addictive and dangerous substance, which can increase the risk of serious injuries and accidents. Although the use of cocaine has increased, researcher Anders Bakken says that the use of other drugs is stable. Photo: Tom Balgaard / news Twice as many boys According to the survey, eight percent of all students at upper secondary school in Oslo say they have tried cocaine in the past year. This is almost three times as high as in 2018. There are twice as many boys as girls who say they have tried. This applies particularly to the last two years of upper secondary school. The survey shows that as many as 17 percent of boys in their final year of high school have used cocaine in the past year. Among the boys who party the most, i.e. those who have drunk alcohol more than ten times during the year, 35 per cent say they have used cocaine. This survey deals with those between 8th grade and 3rd grade at upper secondary school in Oslo. In February, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) presented figures on Norwegian drug use. The report showed that the vast majority of young people do not use drugs at all. In the annual survey for 2022, 4.7 percent of respondents between the ages of 16 and 30 answered that they have used cocaine in the past year. Concerned – It is talked about very openly and joked about a lot. This makes people think it is perfectly normal to wear it at a party. If you have not then taken the position that this is something you should not try, the road to doing it the first time is very short, says Waag. – You see it in every nachspiel, he continues. – Are you worried? – I am worried, yes. There is an unbelievably high level of use among young people now, he says. Waag, who has never tried cocaine himself, but who likes to have a beer or a drink at a party, believes that because access is good, that the drug is stronger than alcohol and that the chance of being caught by the police is low, some of the reason for the large increase. He himself does not know what can be done to calm down the use. Uses cocaine several times a week news has previously spoken to a 23-year-old who said that he and his group of friends like to use cocaine several times a week. He also highlights the easy access as a reason why many people now use cocaine to party. In addition, the 23-year-old believes that the intoxication you get from cocaine is more controllable than the one you get from alcohol. Many therefore use cocaine together with alcohol to be able to party longer.
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