'And I thought coke was for stressed-out executives!': Cocaine's ravages among manual workers
- Posted on July 13, 2026
- By Le Monde
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- 1 min read
Cocaine addiction has transcended its traditional association with white-collar professionals, now infiltrating manual labor sectors across rural and semi-urban France. Construction workers, agricultural laborers, and warehouse staff—many in their late teens and early twenties—are increasingly using cocaine to cope with physical exhaustion and demanding working conditions. This troubling shift reveals how socioeconomic factors and workplace stress drive drug consumption beyond metropolitan elite circles, presenting new public health challenges in previously unaffected communities.
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