From outraged Hindus to concerned vegetarians and vegans, the new polymer £5 was allegedly known to contain animal fat. A new list of complainants has been added to the list saying that the thicker and stronger plastic notes have left them with cuts on their noses as they attempted to snort cocaine. The new £5 note has been in circulation for some months now. With the promise to be stronger and harder to forge, the bank note from the Bank of England is having an unintended effect. It is becoming a major hurdle for people who consume class A drugs. The phenomenon is referred to as being “Winstoned” christened after Winston Churchill’s image which appears on the plastic fivers.
What has come to the notice of many people is that snorting drugs through these five-pound notes could actually be a cause of facilitating or spreading infections. Forensic scientists have claimed now and again that around 80% of all British banknotes contain traces of drugs. Blood and mucus can easily be transferred on the fibres of the notes and these can spread disease when the snorting equipment, i.e. the note, is passed around.
Any drug users who suffer from hepatitis can easily pass on the disease to thousands by merely sharing the rolled paper note (or as the druggies would say: the straw). Without the full five senses being active, drug users can easily miss the small traces of blood on these rolled banknotes. The risk of contracting Hepatitis C through snorting maybe lower than that which exists when sharing a needle, it is still there and is cause enough to raise very concerned eyebrows.
