To think people are naive re cocaine

I've been in law enforcement careers for two decades. I know exactly how common it is.

I also see the users every week in the pubs, restaurants, the street and even during the day amongst my neighbours.

I'm not a bloody idiot and the signs of a user are very very obvious to anyone who understands what to look for.

No one is keeping me "in the dark", including my foolish 21yo BIL and SIL who think people don't know they are using when they nip to the loo at a family meal.

People don't discuss it with me because I have no desire to discuss Class A drugs use with anyone. I no longer have the power of arrest, but it doesn't change any of my personal morals or integrity. And I judge users very hard indeed.

About what? Why would anyone care about laundering? Do you think they'll find out that drug dealers launder and then be like "oh how terrible, i am far too good of a person to contribute to that kind of thing", and never take drugs again?

Absolutely ridiculous and actually unhinged.

Another one who if they were given AML and POC training completely and utterly failed to understand anything.

I don’t want you to explain it because it’s a fucking stupid idea either way 😭 you place a bizarre importance on employees mandatory training. Now that is naive

Why would you think any training will stop people taking drugs? It's just so silly.

What is your problem with anything that I've said? You're irrationally angry with me. Is it because I said people who do coke are twats?

Oh fgs how stupid can you be. Clearly the point of AML training sailed completely over your head. I'm not going to waste time explaining it.

Oh honestly you sound ridiculous. This is why nobody close to you will ever have an honest talk about drug use. Your moralising makes no difference. Nobody cares about what the law says. It said you cant rape your wife within my lifetime.

But they aren't supporting the illegal drug trade and I'm confident that their personal use of home grown Marijuana isn't harmful in the same way that cocaine is. You're welcome to disagree.

Talk about naivety. Your husband is an idiot if he's really in finance.

It might be common, but it causes damage and increases crime. Taking it is nothing to be proud of. 🙄

It’s utterly bizarre that you think AML and proceeds of crime training provided my their companies is going to stop people consuming drugs 😭

I can only imagine! Things don't take long to cross the pond. This was 9 years ago, now I come to think of it but it definitely wasn't as obvious in Dublin back then nor as socially normalised.

I don't knowingly know anyone who does it, but I could name a number i think would be most likely. Mind you, most of them are quite capable of being arseholes without coke or alcohol. They were certainly big drinkers.

When I lived in a shared house in the '90s, it was mostly Es with the odd bit of speed. Weed and mushrooms. It's quite possible some did lines of cocaine as well, and I just didn't know. I was never that into clubbing, which I suspect makes a difference. I have made some great hash cakes in my past, though.

A former colleague died a couple of years ago, in his early 50s. It was a heart attack, and I would not be surprised if it was cocaine-related. I'd have thought heart issues are a massive risk if you're still taking it in your 50s and older.

I agree & it's very minimised, we've had a few drug dealers locally that have had harsh prison sentences & the people commenting online 'oh for god sake go & catch some pedophiles' or 'it's just a bit of coke' etc etc shows you have stupid some people are. It's a serious problem but people seem to think it's harmless.

I don't and never have done drugs, do you think my mum shouldn't believe me?

If they were teenagers I would agree.
They aren't kids and have absolutely no need to tell me anything, it came up in conversation.

Her "in finance in the City" husband clearly didn't pay much attention at AML and Proceeds of Crime training. And she's happy to turn a blind eye to the misery caused by illegal drugs.

Yes "some smoke weed". As in some people we know smoke weed. Not us.

Happy? Who said I'm happy about it? But they aren't supporting the illegal drug trade and I'm confident that their personal use of home grown Marijuana isn't harmful in the same way that cocaine is. You're welcome to disagree.

@Pregnancyquestion haha, yeah after I posted I did wonder if there was a bit of selection bias in what I said - there's a lot of difficult childhoods in my reference group!

Exactly like that ! My partner used to do this every time we went out with a group of his work colleagues. One night I followed and entered the men’s toilet just to find all 4 men stuck in a cubicle waiting for his line. Needless to say that we ended up in the biggest fight of our relationship, I had a nervous asthma and panic attack and well… we survived after couples therapy and moved on from the area. But it was a very dark time.
After this I realised how normal and how coke is into every office and every social class around this country. It is extremely normal and so sad that many people choose drugs instead of family.
i bet in London things are much worst.

It is common, but I think you are naive to the potential effects. Yes, some people can use it and not experience changes in behaviour and they can take it or leave it and carry on as normal Monday-Friday but not everyone can. It is very addictive, many people do become addicted and their behaviour does change. Many people can have changes in behaviour from casual use with an increase in anxiety and/or aggression.
Just like alcohol, some people will use it casually with no real impact on them or those around them but some will have huge changes in behaviour, be a risk to themselves and others and become dependent.

Dublin is AWASH with coke nowadays

Agreed.

you could say the same about alcohol and certainly a very high % of people drink.

alcohol is legal and socially accepted but there is a strong line between those who indulge and difficult childhoods.

at the same time, most people with perfectly happy childhoods also drink alcohol.

its also not a parents place to judge whether their children had a happy childhood.

I was in a club in Brentwood a few years ago. Naive me (from Ireland and in my 30s) couldn't figure out what the hold up was for the ladies' toilets. 3 girls were emerging from every cubicle after lengthy waits. When I got back to my group (people from London and Essex) I was informed that it was coke usage. It never even occurred to me! I was amazed tbh that it was so much the norm.

This is the kind of nonsense that means you won't see when someone close is developing a drug habit.