A CORONER is calling on authorities to ban AMT – a drug commonly used for recreational use – following the death of a 21-year-old Gillingham man after a party.
Adam Weeks, of Loddon View, was out with friends at a pub in Stour Provost on November 19 last year when he collapsed and an ambulance was called, an inquest at Shepton Mallet heard last week.
Mr Weeks was taken to Yeovil District Hospital but died the following day.
A pathologist's report showed evidence of amphetamines, cocaine and AMT – alpha methyltryptamine – and confirmed his death was due to AMT intoxification.
East Somerset Coroner Tony Williams said there had been a history of recreational use of the AMT drug since the 1960s, but this was the first death of its kind recorded in Dorset.
In recent years AMT had been widely promoted and was available to buy from websites – and was not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act, said Mr Williams.
He said a report from Mr Weeks's GP confirmed that he had assured his social worker he was working, had stopped taking drugs and was "taking control of his life".
But on November 19 he went out with friends to a party at Stour Provost and was seen taking drugs. When the group went home he collapsed at Gillingham and an ambulance was called. Police arrived and a nurse handed them a tablet which was found to be AMT.
Mr Williams said he had personally been in contact with police and given them full details relating to Mr Weeks's death and the police were now "putting that information into their system".
He said he felt it was now appropriate for him as coroner to write to all of the appropriate authorities, advising them to review their policy and consider adding AMT to their list of illegal drugs.
Mr Williams recorded a verdict of accidental death.
