UK Police Use Special Up-Nose Flashlights to Identify Cocaine Users

Scottish police are using special flashlights to identify people who have been using cocaine.

Police officers and club bouncers in Paisley Scotland are working together to shine a light on those that have recently been abusing class A drugs, such as cocaine, by issuing those working the door at nightclubs with specially designed flashlights that illuminate cocaine in the nasal passage.

Police and club officials shine the flashlight beams up the noses of patrons seeking entry into a club. If a patron has recently been using cocaine, the hairs in the nose and the area around the nose glow a bright green.

People testing positive for drugs are denied entry into clubs and are searched for drugs by police officers.

Sergeant Greg Dinnie of the Strathclyde Police said that the torches are a non intrusive way to identify people who’ve been using drugs, saying, "That gives us the power to see if they've got any further substances or it lets stewards refuse entry and protect others enjoying a safe night out."

Cocaine use is one the rise in Scotland, a result of greatly falling prices over the last decade. A gram of cocaine in Scotland now costs as little as 30 pounds.