A 17-year-old from Southampton is being treated at Southampton General Hospital’s intensive care unit after taking a ‘legal high’ drug he bought on the internet. The boy’s mother phoned an ambulance after finding him in his bedroom on Wednesday afternoon, August 14. He said he'd taken Alpha Methyltryptamine (AMT) which had been ordered from Holland. His condition remains life-threatening, according to the hospital.
Police are warning against the use of so-called ‘legal highs’. Detective Constable Jonathan Hyland said: “The clear issue is that people who state they have a strong view about not taking controlled drugs are importing and purchasing drugs which they read on-line are a substitute for controlled drugs. People incorrectly believe that these ‘legal highs’ are then both safe and appropriate alternatives to street drugs. Just because something is not illegal does not make it safe. Unfortunately, it appears that anyone can call anything a ‘legal high’ and ell it as ‘safe’. It only becomes clear it is not safe when someone becomes severely harmed by taking it and subsequent investigations reveal substances within the compound can be lethal. This is the third exceptionally serious case involving AMT in Hampshire since 2012. If you are considering taking any type of non personally prescribed drug, I would urge you to consider for a few minutes – before you use the substance - how your family would feel, finding you in need of critical medical attention.”
Two Hampshire deaths have been attributed to AMT since June, 2012, when a 19-year-old Chandler’s Ford youth died. In July, 2012, a 33-year-old Andover man died after taking AMT.