Take cocaine and 'face death'

THERE is no "safe" dose of cocaine and anyone taking even small amounts of the drug is dicing with death, say scientists.

The warning comes after Spanish researchers found more than 3 per cent of 668 sudden deaths were directly linked to cocaine.

The scientists, from the Institute of Legal Medicine in Seville, wrote in the European Heart Journal: "Any amount of the drug can be considered to have the potential for toxicity, due to the fact that some patients have poor outcomes with relatively low blood concentrations, whereas others tolerate large quantities without consequences."