There is evidently more and more interest in the health issues arising when cocaine and alcohol are combined as some of our Cocaethylene hair drug testing data was published in yesterday’s Observer. Watch out for more on this site about the regional breakdown of stats as we map out the extent of the problem in the UK.

More on the rising tide of danger presented by cocaethylene in this story using NHS figures to show that cocaine addiction among the young has risen by three quarters in just three years. Our own research from Trimega Laboratories’ hair drug testing programme, which we are about to publish, shows that 45% of cocaine users test positive to cocaethylene. In some parts of the country it is as high as 60%.

Prison drug testing has been revealed as seriously flawed in the Police Oracle. It reports that “drug free” certificates are being issued incorrectly after voluntary urine tests because – unlike hair drug tests - the system only picks up one or two drugs (from a potential nine) and the tests are taken too infrequently. Certificates, from now on, will not be worth the paper they are written on because of disclaimers highlighting the flaw.

Watch out in tomorrow’s Queens Speech to see if Family Courts will be making evidence such as expert witness statements available for public scrutiny. For anyone who’s interested and hasn’t seen one before, here’s what a sample Hair Drug Test statistical analysis looks like. These are presented, often by an expert witness, to magistrates presiding over child custody cases.

Cocaethylene - a highly toxic chemical formed in the liver as a result of mixing cocaine and alcohol – is making the news… and not before time. Our Hair Drug Testing database shows cocaethylene is – on average - the fourth highest substance recorded in the UK after cocaine, benzos and THC. However Londoners take note, this heart-attack inducer has overtaken cannabis in the Capital and now takes third place.