article_snippet: Cocaine use in Britain has trebled in two decades, with a new 'phenomenon' of rising drugs consumption among people in their forties and fifties.
article_snippet: Cocaine use has traditionally been highest among people in Cocaine use twenties and late teens, but there have been significant increases among people in Cocaine use forties and fifties .
article_snippet: Cocaine use has traditionally been highest among people in Cocaine use twenties and late teens but
article_snippet: while usage among younger age groups has fluctuated in recent years, figures from the Office for National Statistics show the percentage of over-35s taking cocaine at least once in the past year increased from 0.8 per cent in 2001/2 to 1.5 per cent in 2013/14 – the equivalent of about 188,000 men and women.
article_snippet: Overall just over 810,000 men and women aged 16 to 59 in England and Wales used the drug at least once last year – 2.4 per cent of the population.
article_snippet: In 2013-14, 1.8 per cent of people aged 34-44 took cocaine up from 1.3 per cent a decade earlier. 
article_snippet: It could be that more people are taking up cocaine later in life, but the data suggests it is the result of 'continued use among an ageing user cohort', suggesting age does not lead to people giving the drug up.
article_snippet: Cocaine use has trebled in two decades, although the proportion of people saying they have used drugs in the last year has fallen sharply .
article_snippet: Using data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, this report said 0.6 per cent of 16-59 year-olds took powdered cocaine in 1996, compared to a peak of 3 per cent - or 885,000 people - in 2008-09.
article_snippet: this report also found in the last year cocaine use was also found to be more than twice as popular among gays and bisexuals compared to heterosexuals.