A new study led by Simon Fraser University health sciences researcher Benedikt Fischer, has claimed that crack use is the most common form of drug addiction in B. C. , yet the authorities are not doing enough to control it.

He added that the practice has been growing in the country, making it all the more important for the regulators to ensure its control and avoidance.

A further interpretation of the issue will be presented under ‘Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy’ next month.

Fischer and his team looked into the social, health and drug-use features in as many as 148 key users of crack across three of the communities in B. C. viz. Nanaimo, Campbell River and Prince George.

Other studies on crack usage claim that practice gives way to the development of a range of problems including as mental illness, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, and Hepatitis C virus (HCV).

The social outcomes of the usage include homelessness, illegitimate income generation and destitution.

The study was aimed at assessing the crack usage among rural areas in the nation.

“We need better and more targeted prevention and treatment for crack use in order to reduce its enormous negative public health impact”, Fischer said.