Cocaine is taking a growing toll on the mental health of users over 60.
Experts believe a spike in hospital admissions is down to the impact of taking the drug for decades.
A total of 408 people in their 60s were hospitalised because of the drug this year – up from 314 in 2020-21.
Prof Harry Sumnall, of Liverpool John Moores University, said some of those in hospital had been taking cocaine since it first became popular in the UK in the late ‘80s.
He said: “The health and psychological consequences of cocaine can build up over time, and disproportionately affect people as they age.
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“The wider impact of Covid – including health effects and lockdown – could also have meant that the harms of cocaine were amplified in older people.”
Robin Pollard, of the charity With You, said long-term cocaine use can lead to anxiety, depression and severe mental illnesses.
But the overall number of cocaine users seeking mental health help fell from its 2018-19 peak of 15,423 to 12,470 last year.
