Cocaine is in, heroin is out – How fashion shifts demand

Once the drug of choice in the 1990’s, heroin has fallen out of favour among young people which is fantastic news as it causes more negative externalities (such as crime) than any other drug. Sadly however numbers of young adults entering NHS-funded treatment for cocaine addiction are growing rapidly. Alan Booth from drugs charity Addiction believes this shift is mainly down to changing fashions.

This article is an interesting example of how changes in taste and fashion can have a huge impact of demand for a product. Pupils could draw a demand and supply diagram to show how changing tastes have affected the price and sales of cocaine. It could also be used for a lesson on negative externalities.