Greek addicts turn to deadly shisha drug as economic crisis deepens

Growing popularity of 'cocaine of the poor' in Athens has overwhelmed public health authorities already under strain
The Guardian (UK)
Thursday, May 16, 2013

Nobody knows which came first: the economic crisis tearing Greece apart or shisha, the drug now known as the "cocaine of the poor". What everyone does accept is that shisha is a killer. And at €2 or less a hit, it is one that has come to stalk Greece, the country long on the frontline of Europe's financial meltdown. The drug crisis, brought to light in a new film by Vice.com, has put Athens's health authorities, already overwhelmed by draconian cuts, under further strain. (See also: 'Sisa', the drug of the poor)