In body-building and sporting circles, the logic is not much different but the substances involved include steroids, uragogues and vasodilators. In more general terms, cocaine and ephedrine are very often the basic substances involved in polydrug use, especially as illicit trading in both these drugs often serves to bankroll the purchase of steroids. Therefore, in both circles of polydrug users, there are informal polytrafficking networks dealing in both licit and illicit substances, sometimes bartering them since some users have ready access to diverted medicines, while others have cocaine or ecstasy connections. For both categories of users, France is ahead of all other European countries. Polydrug using circles, whose members tend to be very young, are expanding.
Cocaine is one of the drugs they consume, and it is in competition with amphetamine derivatives.
Indeed, an OGD study make public in early 1997 indicates that cocaine use in France displays the same features as in the other large European countries. During 1996, France gave the impression to be taking advantage of its differences with the Netherlands concerning the war on drug trafficking in order to underline its reticence over the Schengen accord. After it was postponed several times, the meeting eventually took place but did not fulfil expectations. France's partners immediately declared that they hoped the decision would be only temporary in nature. However, the decision still holds in early 1997.