Cocaine possession and overdoses are now at a 15-year high in Sydney's CBD and eastern suburbs, latest figures reveal. The number of arrests for narcotics use and possession and the number of opioid overdoses has doubled since 2006 but the major shift in drug use is in cocaine, with arrests for possession at an all time high. The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research examined trends in arrests for narcotics and cocaine possession and overdoses between 1999 and 2009 and found a steep increase in the use of cocaine, especially in pubs and clubs and homes. Cocaine is most prevalent in the CBD and the eastern suburbs, while the possession of narcotics is more common in the Fairfield and Liverpool local government areas, the figures show. While the number of arrests for narcotics has soared in the past three years, the levels are still much lower than the heroine drought in 2000 and offenders tend to be men aged 20 to 39, with most having a prior conviction. It is a different story for cocaine users with less than half of those charged having a criminal record.