We reported last week that Australia was in the midst of a particularly heavy drug binge, and from recent accounts there’s a similar swell of cocaine use amongst UK clubbers. In an effort to curb this rise in cocaine usage, UK police have been trialing cocaine-detecting torches in pubs and clubs across the country.

According to the BBC, police officials in Blackburn have been testing the so-dubbed cocaine torches over the last two months, calling them a “great preventative tool” against cocaine use. The torches work when shined in the faces of suspected users, and any cocaine residue on their face or in their nose will glow bright green. “You can see if they’ve taken cocaine. That gives us the power to search them and see if they’ve got any further substances on them.”

UK civil liberties group Release – recently responsible for the public campaign against the demonization of drug users – has been quick to speak up on the matter, declaring that the use of such cocaine torches could be an invasion of punters’ privacy.

Regardless of such reservations, the cocaine torches look to be spreading across UK venues, with many saying that inspection by the cocaine torches will be a condition of entry.

How do you feel about the potential implementation of cocaine torches in Australia? Is it justified or simply a further intrusion on people’s privacy?