A drugs handbook paid for with public funds has been pulped after it gave information on how to take cocaine without leaving evidence and how best to use the horse tranquilliser ketamine.
The leaflet was produced by Coventry Community Safety Partnership (CCSP) and was funded with £10,000 from the Department of Health. It advises drug users to snort cocaine off ceramic tiles and mirrors to avoid leaving any evidence for the police and warns that other surfaces will leave traces of the drugs.
It also advises cocaine users to wipe their nose after use and tells anyone considering using ketamine to do so on an empty stomach.
A total of 5,000 Safe2Dance leaflets and posters have had to be destroyed after it emerged that some of the guidance in the 52-page booklet turned out to be less than ideal for the police-backed scheme.
The leaflet was criticised by Bob Ainsworth, Labour MP for Coventry North-East, as a waste of public money.
He told the Coventry Evening Telegraph: "The line that shouldn't be crossed is the line that is effectively encouraging people to experiment.
"That's not what public money is for. It could be seen as encouraging people to experiment with drugs."
The CCSP consists of organisations which come together to combat crime, disorder and substance misuse in the city. It includes the city council, police, primary care trust, hospital trust, magistrates court service and the young offenders service.
The idea behind the booklet was to tackle crime and drug abuse by providing "useful tips on staying safe" for people on nights out with friends and were to be distributed around Coventry's bars and clubs.
On one page it said: "Always use a mirror or ceramic tile to snort your coke off. Other surfaces can leave valuable forensic evidence for the police!"
Chief Superintendent Steve Dugmore, chairman of the CCSP, said: "This unfortunate error should not have happened, but I'm pleased that no leaflets have been distributed."
Stella Manzie, secretary of the CCSP and chief executive of Coventry city council, said that the leaflet was being destroyed.
"Some of the advice in the leaflet was wholly sensible, but parts were absolutely unacceptable - in particular those parts which appeared to encourage criminal activity," she said.
"The community safety partnership does some fantastic work in the city but on this occasion its support team produced a leaflet which completely misrepresents its views.
"I will be conducting a full investigation to find out how this has arisen. I will also be writing to the Department of Health to explain what has happened and to apologise."
Barry Eveleigh, co-ordinator of the adult substance misuse service, part of Coventry's Community Safety Partnership, yesterday defended the leaflets.
He said: "Drugs play a significant part in the club scene and this campaign encourages those people who are intent on taking substances to do it more safely."
