Cocaine use in England rose sharply in the five years leading up to 2008, according to a report released Wednesday. The average of English individuals aged 16 to 59 who had used cocaine at least once in their lifetime was 55.7 per thousand people in 2002-2003, but over five years it rose to 72.5 per thousand people. And leading the rise are women, whose consumption of coke almost matched the men’s. The amount of women aged 10 to 25 who had used cocaine in their lifetime was 4.8 percent in 2003, compared with 8.2 percent of men. In 2006, the percentage of women was 6.66, compared with 7.2 percent of men. The study cites three reasons for the rise in use: cheapness, availability, and increased social acceptance. About $70 now buys a gram of coke in England, whereas in the ‘80s, a gram cost about $160. “We’re very much in an age of chemical enhancement and a pill for every ill,” said Jim McVeigh, head of substance use at the Center for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University. So, he added, cocaine is just viewed as another accepted chemical compound. Researchers also say women used cocaine as they became more independent and drank more—drinking and snorting going hand in hand. [Reuters]

In general, sex makes people stupid—why else would anyone get it on with a complete stranger and not bother with protection?  But there must be something in the water these days, because lately people are acting especially idiotic about intercourse.

Star magazine is reporting that Lindsay Lohan could be indulging in her old habits of drinking and doing cocaine. But Linds also may have taken up a new compulsion—cutting. Although we don’t always believe Star, Pop Eater did a little photographic investigation, and Lindsay does appear to have a series of scratches or scars on her forearm. Most cutters usually injure themselves on their arms or legs because the scratches can be covered with clothing. Pop Eater also has photos of Lindsay wearing long sleeves recently.

Uh oh. We smell a celebrity rehab relapse on the horizon. Lindsay Lohan, who recently completed treatment at a rehab facility in Utah—which, yes, seems to have worked since she hasn’t gotten drunk or shown any visible signs of cocaine use since (though she did pick up a typically scabby boyfriend)—was seen out and about with former-BFF and rumored enabler Samantha Ronson. Ronson, a “DJ,” was LiLo’s constant companion during many of her drinking and drug filled episodes, and some even speculated the two were lesbian lovers. We totally believe it, but then again, we think everyone in Hollywood is gay. But regardless, making the rounds with Bad Influence #1 is probably a sign of worse things to come. Lindsay, we beg of you, don’t sink even lower by calling your former stylist/coke dealer Rachel Zoe!