Deaths highlight ecstasy dangers but does zero-tolerance put lives at risk?

[poledriver]

Deaths highlight ecstasy dangers but does zero-tolerance put lives at risk?

Two deaths in three months from 'party drugs' have highlighted their dangers but doctors say the current zero-tolerance approach is out-dated and putting young lives at risk.

Transcript
SABRA LANE, PRESENTER: Teenage deaths from taking so-called party drugs seem to have become a regular occurrence.

The weekend before last, a teenager tragically lost his life after taking drugs at a dance party in Sydney.

Three months earlier, a 19-year old girl died after taking ecstasy at a music festival.

Sniffer dogs are the primary police response in trying to stop drugs getting into festivals.

But some doctors say that's not working and they want pill testing introduced at music events so partygoers know exactly what they're taking.

Monique Schafter reports.

MONIQUE SCHAFTER, REPORTER: This was the scene from just over a week ago at a dance party called A State of Trance. Among this crowd of 16,000 ravers were two young brothers from Sydney's north-west. They came to lose themselves in the music and have a good time.

But things went horribly wrong when one of the brothers, aged 19, collapsed on the dance floor.

He was rushed to hospital, but died from a suspected drug overdose.

FRANK MENNILLI, NSW POLICE ASST. COMMISSIONER: As a result of drug-taking at that dance party, a 19-year-old male died and a 20-year-old male is currently in a critical but stable condition at Westmead Hospital.

MONIQUE SCHAFTER: His older brother was one of five others taken to hospital that night. He was later discharged. Police are investigating claims they were competing in a game of who could take the most drugs.

FRANK MENNILLI: Shocking isn't the word; idiotic I think is the word. Like I said, these people were gambling with their life. Just absolute stupidity. Really there's no word for it.

MONIQUE SCHAFTER: Police arrested three people for supplying drugs at the rave and 40 others were charged with drug possession and other offences.

Just three months earlier, 19-year-old Georgina Bartter died from taking ecstasy at Sydney's Harbourlife festival.

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Watch the whole thing in a 9 Min video -

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2015/s4181233.htm

 

[ro4eva]

Unbelievable how arrogant and bloody ignorant this "TONY COOKE, NSW POLICE DRUG SQUAD COMMANDER" is.

This moron believes his painfully naive opinion should hold the same amount of consideration as someone who has actually consumed MDMA, or as a physician who treats drug users who show up at the ER due to an overdose, adulterants, etc.

I swear, the stupidity... it's like watching a man try to explain to experienced mothers how it personally feels to become pregnant and give birth. Utterly ridiculous, and even more so because he's considered to be a credible source. Are you fucking kidding me?!

Would you, "TONY COOKE, NSW POLICE DRUG SQUAD COMMANDER," like to know why this 4+ decade old war on drugs has been a colossal failure which has cost Americans alone ~$1,500,000,000,000 in completely wasted tax payer money? Because clueless idiots like yourself continue to be viewed as experts on the matter.

Ugh - wake the fuck up already mainstream media! The least you can do is to call them out on this. They have a vested interest in continuing the same old status quo for obvious reasons. Please, come to your senses and recognize that they care more about busting people than they do about young lives soon to expire because of a fundamentally flawed and failed policy on certain drugs. Several decades with zero tangible progress.