Teenager Dies After Taking Drugs at Music Festival In Australia

[foolsgold]

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, a 19-year-old woman has died after taking drugs at yesterday’s (Nov. 8) Harbourlife Festival.
Georgina Bartter reportedly took a combination of “one-and-a-half” pills at the event and had an “adverse reaction”; she later died at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Australia. The festival’s official Facebook page shared their condolences after the tragedy occurred. “Right now our thoughts are with her family — we can hardly imagine the pain and heartbreak they must be feeling, and they have our deepest sympathy.”
Read their full statement below:
A patron who attended Harbourlife yesterday died in hospital last night. A drug overdose or adverse reaction is suspected. At this stage a coroner’s report has not been made so we don’t have further factual information.
Right now our thoughts are with her family – we can hardly imagine the pain and heartbreak they must be feeling, and they have our deepest sympathy.
Harbourlife has been held annually since 2003. It has a fully equipped first aid tent with an emergency doctor, 2 paramedics, 3 first responder medics, 2 supervisors and a communications officer.
The patron collapsed at 4.37pm and event security called event fist aid. A paramedic was there at 4.38, a second at 4.41 and NSW ambulance paramedics were with the patient at 4.45. She was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital.
Police have issued a warning reminding people of the dangers of illegal drugs: “There’s little to no quality control in the production of illicit drugs. Quite simply, you don’t know what you are getting – seeking a synthetic high, could result in a serious injury or death.”
Once aware of Bartter becoming ill, police searched the festival grounds and ended up arresting a reported 78 people for drug offenses.
Harbourlife is a one-day house and dance music festival; this year’s lineup featured performances by Kygo, Dusky, Lee Foss, Miguel Campbell and more. According to the event’s website, the festival is “Sydney’s spectacular waterside party … [and] one of Sydney’s most loved music events … [with] the best soundtrack to kick off the summer season.”


Read More: Teenager Dies After Taking Drugs at Festival In Australia | http://diffuser.fm/teenager-dies-at...ailthru&utm_medium=referral&trackback=tsmclip

 

[poledriver]

Yeah it's really sad, I saw her on the news in some pics they posted of her, a very attractive girl and apparently was pretty successful.

On the same news they also showed Mr Tony Woods long time anti drugs campaigner whose daughter died in 1995 after taking an E at a rave in Sydney and a cop who were both saying anti drugs stuff and how concerning it is that these events are so awash with drugs, but yet they wont allow things like a tent for pill testing to try and reduce harm.

I havent heard what pills she had so I cant post any info.

 

[Felonious Monk]

I really don't understand the mentality behind not allowing a drug testing tent. I mean, I've seen it, I've heard people say they'd rather addicts die than be able to buy a test kit, but I don't understand it.

It would be such a simple solution to issues like this, but even the parents never pick up on it. Look, your perfect daughter wanted to do drugs, she really did--but that's OK. What's not ok is the culture surrounding their use. A culture which could be made a good deal safer by the easy and widespread availability of testing kits.

If she'd tested the pill and it came out bad she would have thrown it out, $20 wasted, too bad, but life saved, disaster averted.

 

[poledriver]

^ Yes, true...

A SYDNEY family is grieving the loss of their “beautiful and vibrant” young daughter after her death from a suspected drug overdose at a music festival.
Georgina Bartter, 19, had been with friends at the Harbourlife festival on Saturday when she collapsed among partygoers and began having a seizure.
The accounting student was rushed to St Vincent’s Hospital, where doctors worked desperately to try to save her life.

Friends told police Ms Bartter had taken one and a half pills on the day of the festival, behaviour her devastated parents last night described as “extremely out of character”.
“She was a beautiful and vibrant young woman who was much loved and will be sadly missed,” the Bartter family said in a statement.
Ms Bartter was the eldest of three children and graduated from Wenona private school last year, where she was a top student.

She had only just returned from a dream holiday to Europe during a study break from university.
Her close friends said they were “completely shocked” by Ms Bartter’s death and were receiving counselling last night.
“She was really lovely to everyone at school. She was the life of the party,” one friend said.
“Everyone’s in shock. She had so much potential and it was way too early.”
Ms Bartter was born in 1995, the same year Anna Wood, 15, became the face of the anti-drug war after she died from popping an ecstasy tablet at a rave party.

Police and paramedics were called to help Ms Bartter at about 4.40pm and found her lying at the bottom of stairs convulsing. By the time she arrived at St Vincent’s Hospital she had gone into cardiac arrest.
Partygoer Owen Mullins said he saw Ms Bartter looking “unwell”.
The Irish tourist wrote on Facebook: “I stopped and asked if she was OK ... she didn’t respond.”
“I sat next to her and watched for about 30 seconds to one minute and returned to tell her friend that she needed help. She agreed and asked for a paramedic so I ran and got one.”

Police arrested 78 people for drug offences from the crowd of 5000.
Sydney City Local Area Commander Mark Walton said drug offences at music festivals had become worryingly common. “It is the nature of these events that is linked to drug use,” he said.
“Young woman and men want to know the content of everything they eat. They are very particular about things ... we know there is risk associated with drug use.”
Harbourlife said their thoughts were with the family. “We can hardly imagine the pain and heartbreak they must feel and they have our deepest sympathy.”

http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw...tiful-girls-life/story-fnii5s3x-1227117685446

RIP

 

['medicine cabinet']

Wow, pretty girl. Very sad indeed. And to think it could have been avoided if there was a testing tent for ppl to at least get an idea of what is in their pill.

 

[One Thousand Words]

Unfortunately it won't stop a lot of punters still consuming dud pills. I bought a test kit to Splendor in the Grass one year and despite showing mates the bunk results they still consumed them (and sold the remainder).

A lot of people just want to get fucked up.

 

[oldirtybizza]

Pretty sure at least a few people die a day of overdoses in Aus and it's barely mentioned in the media yet when an attractive wealthy girl dies from "ecstasy".... front page.

78/5000 arrested that's a decent % right there, great use of police resources and their presence still didn't stop this girl from dying. all these cops couldn't do what a single test kit could have done, great job NSW POL.

 

[poledriver]

Georgina Bartter didn't have to die: How to prevent drug-related deaths

The death of Georgina Bartter, 19, on Saturday was tragic and completely unnecessary.
We have learnt too much since Anna Wood's death from an ecstasy overdose in 1995 to have allowed this to happen.

Alcohol and drug misuse causes thousands of deaths in Australia each year. There are three broad causes of alcohol and drug-related deaths: accidental, deliberate and illness. The vast majority of alcohol and drug-related deaths are accidental or caused by illness or disease brought about by substance misuse. It is no secret, for example, that smokers are at risk of lung cancer, that chronic drinkers are at risk of liver disease, or that drug users risk accidental overdose.

Alcohol and drug-related deaths are a global issue. Here in Australia one of the most dangerous and disturbing concerns is the rise of dangerously mixed drugs – "bad batches" and polydrug use such as mixing cocaine, ecstasy and methamphetamines that include toxic chemicals to "bulk up" the supply.

How often do users know what's in their drugs? How often do they know where drugs are made or by whom?
Some groups offer to "test" drugs at raves for you in the United Kingdom but the idea has not been welcomed in Australia because it "sends a bad message".
From my experience that is a sensible harm reduction measure and could have saved Georgina's life. It's naive to think that our children can always deny the forces of the black market.

The anonymity of the "black market" drug economy means that potentially lethal substances are sold on our streets every day - this is the real cost of misuse.
Alcohol causes many injuries and deaths every year and costs the Australian community billions of dollars – twice as much as the social cost of illicit drug use. Australia's young adults, elderly and Indigenous people are considered the "at risk" populations more likely to be affected by the negative effects of alcohol.

The only thing that compares to the social costs of alcohol is the billions spent each year on illicit drugs.
According to The Age, Australians spend $7 billion a year "splurging" on illicit drugs; a figure that dwarfs the amount of money spent on assisting those with drug dependencies or fighting the drug endemic.

In an online report, illicit drug trade researcher Dr John Jiggens examines the size and value of Australia's drug market. He estimates about 3 million Australians buy illicit drugs and that our drug market is worth about $17 billion.

Alcohol and drug use can be summed up easily in monetary figures. But the biggest cost is not monetary. Every year alcohol and drugs cost thousands of Australians their lives.

Drug-related deaths increased by 79 per cent from 1979-1999 according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures. Of the near 2000 deaths caused by drugs in 1999, 81 per cent were accidental, 16 per cent were suicides and 3 per cent were undetermined.
What we can conclude from all of this is that the argument that some substances are more dangerous than others is nonsense.

Cont -

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/georg...ted-deaths-20141110-11jnco.html#ixzz3IhaenROk

 

[mister]

This article is being done to death by the media outlets on facebook, Ive had to stop reading the comments as they were making me so angry with incredibly stupid posts such as "just another dead junkie, who cares" and "just dont take drugs" ect......

No wonder most of the worlds drug policies are draconian

 

[poledriver]

Yep, sadly there's alot of idiots out there. I read a few of the comments after some of the ones on fb too, some real weird and bizarre views from some people.

 

[drug_mentor]

Such a shame, especially considering this death was entirely preventable through test kits and proper education.

It would be nice if they would say what the pills she consumed were so people could avoid them or at the very least make sure they reagent test them until more is known about their contents...

 

[One Thousand Words]

What if they were MDMA and she was one of the unlucky few that have died from it?

I have read that she was allergic to many foods so there is a good chance that she had a bad reaction to too much MDMA. Testing these pills would not have made a difference in that case. My partner is very sensitive to mdma. I've seen her adversely react to half a strong pill which was tested and in which I had consumed with no adverse effects. While I'd love to tell myself she consumed a bunk pill, the fact there were no other reports of fellow punters getting into similar distress. It is very possible this death was directly due to a good strong dose of an otherwise normal pill. Unfortunately there is always a risk when taking any drug that puts a strain on your cardiovascular system.

Is it a coincidence that the majority of young people who die from ecstasy are women? Or is it just a great set of boobs shocks us more and the young men who die are just not news worthy?

 

[neversickanymore]

We are losing the war on drugs

We are losing the war on drugs
MIRANDA DEVINE
NOVEMBER 12, 2014

AS they grieve the death of their beautiful, vivacious daughter Georgina last weekend, I hope the Bartter family isn’t harassed by the vultures of the drug legalisation lobby.

That’s what happened to the Wood family when their 15-year-old daughter Anna died in 1995 after taking an ecstasy pill. Tony and Angela Wood are still aghast that Dr Alex Wodak sent them a letter two weeks after Anna’s death, trying to recruit them for his campaign to legalise dangerous illegal drugs.

At the time, he was a pillar of the medical establishment at St Vincent’s Hospital as Director of the Alcohol and Drug Service as well as President of the radical Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation.

His two-page letter urged the Woods to “at least make something good come out of Anna’s death” by lobbying politicians to end “tough law enforcement policies”.

They ignored his disgusting, predatory opportunism and went on to make an enormous contribution by touring schools, telling Anna’s story to send the message that illegal drugs are never safe.

Their efforts, together with the courage of whistleblower police like Tim Priest and publicity about the psychosis-inducing potential of cannabis, pressured authorities to take the drug problem seriously.

John Howard’s successful Tough on Drugs regime was launched in 1997 and, for the first time in three decades drug use fell, fewer young people experimented and those who did were older.

Georgina Bartter was born the year Anna Wood died.

By the time she came of age the Tough on Drugs regime had been dismantled, lessons had been forgotten and the same old drug liberalisers were back in the ascendancy.

continued here http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...120073137?nk=9b8e8c36c85f68b86fe7cf8c51364ef6

.................................................................................................................................................................

Some people are just clueless.

 

[ro4eva]

Ugh - what a waste!

Another young and beautiful partygoer with the potential for a prosperous future has had her life taken from her far too early.

Yes, it's absolutely true: this could have been avoided, and she'd still be alive, but far too many of us are seemingly still too fucking primitive in our capacity to comprehend abstract and/or critical thinking about recreational drug use in general.

I'm afraid the human race - on average - might be too low on the intelligence quotient scale to be able to transcend barriers which continue to severely affect the quality of life of many minority groups, including our street drug consuming "splinter organization."

My sincere condolences to the parents and siblings of the departed. I suppose it's irrelevant now, but I have no doubt that your daughter would still be alive today if recreational party drugs other than alcohol were legal and properly regulated, but the cops are too addicted to their extremely destructive, adrenaline fueled game of cat and mouse with drug dealers and drug users. And for this reason, it makes the death of your loved one all the more tragic.

 

[mister]

Reports are coming in that the pill was a European import called a purple speaker, Ive seen the white speaker's and they were high dosed @ 180-220mg MDMA but no mention of purple speakers on pill reports that I can find, I also had a quick browse on the Tor markets without any luck.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/police-in...-at-harbourlife-festival-20141111-11klmr.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...na-Bartter-allegedly-just-one-half-pills.html

If these are indeed Euro pills dosed @ 200mg then she took around 300mg at once, a heavy dose but it shouldnt be lethal

 

[drug_mentor]

What if they were MDMA and she was one of the unlucky few that have died from it?

I have read that she was allergic to many foods so there is a good chance that she had a bad reaction to too much MDMA. Testing these pills would not have made a difference in that case. My partner is very sensitive to mdma. I've seen her adversely react to half a strong pill which was tested and in which I had consumed with no adverse effects. While I'd love to tell myself she consumed a bunk pill, the fact there were no other reports of fellow punters getting into similar distress. It is very possible this death was directly due to a good strong dose of an otherwise normal pill. Unfortunately there is always a risk when taking any drug that puts a strain on your cardiovascular system.

Is it a coincidence that the majority of young people who die from ecstasy are women? Or is it just a great set of boobs shocks us more and the young men who die are just not news worthy?

Well that is why I said pill testing and proper education, even in the event the pills contained MDMA, she took one and a half tablets which was clearly too much since it killed her. She may be allergic but if that is the case half a pill is a lot less likely to cause a deadly reaction than one and a half pills.

I don't know if 'Ecstasy' does kill more women than men or if the media just picks up on the women who OD because the public seems more sympathetic towards them.

 

[neversickanymore]

We are losing the war on drugs
MIRANDA DEVINE
NOVEMBER 12, 2014

AS they grieve the death of their beautiful, vivacious daughter Georgina last weekend, I hope the Bartter family isn’t harassed by the vultures of the drug legalisation lobby.

That’s what happened to the Wood family when their 15-year-old daughter Anna died in 1995 after taking an ecstasy pill. Tony and Angela Wood are still aghast that Dr Alex Wodak sent them a letter two weeks after Anna’s death, trying to recruit them for his campaign to legalise dangerous illegal drugs.

A very tragic event here. I hope the people who loved her find a level of peace at some point.

I belive this brave woman gets it. WHAT MARTHA DID NEXT

I know Herby gets it. Your guys strength is unbelievable

 

[ro4eva]

Well that is why I said pill testing and proper education, even in the event the pills contained MDMA, she took one and a half tablets which was clearly too much since it killed her. She may be allergic but if that is the case half a pill is a lot less likely to cause a deadly reaction than one and a half pills.

I don't know if 'Ecstasy' does kill more women than men or if the media just picks up on the women who OD because the public seems more sympathetic towards them.

Sorry if you've been asked already, but are we sure she unfortunately and tragically passed away due to the consumption of actual MDMA?

This is such a sad story. She was absolutely radiant; stunning.

 

[poledriver]

^ Make of this what you will...

THE deadly drug that claimed the life of Sydney teenager Georgina Bartter was known as a “purple speaker”, a stamped tablet believed to have originated from Europe.
Police investigating the death of the bright young accounting student at a dance festival on the weekend have been told she took one-and-a-half of the purple pills, thought to contain MDMA.
Ms Bartter, 19, died at St Vincent’s Hospital on Saturday afternoon after she collapsed and fell unconscious amid partygoers at the Harbourlife festival.
Her death has prompted renewed drug warnings from police as they work to track down those responsible for supplying the deadly dose of ecstasy. Police have seized thousands of MDMA capsules, tablets and pill presses in drug raids across NSW this year, but most of the supplies are coming from Europe, specifically the Netherlands, police said.

“Furthermore, they have absolutely no idea how their body may react to the drug.”
Detective Supt Cooke said MDMA was being imported by organised crime syndicates in Australia, along with large quantities of precursor chemicals to manufacture drugs in backyards across NSW.
“As with amphetamine-type substances, we are battling the supply of MDMA on many fronts,” he said. “We are committed to doing everything we can to stop this poison from destroying more lives.”
Police arrested 78 people for drug offences at the Harbourlife festival on Saturday from a crowd of 5000 attendees.
In the previous two years, police charged more than 100 people with drug offences at the same harbour- side festival.
It follows another major police operation at a Penrith festival in September, which saw 83 people arrested for drug possession, including a man allegedly caught with 250 MDMA pills.
Partygoers at Harbourlife have spoken out about MDMA use at festivals, saying it is now considered more socially acceptable than alcohol.
State Protection Dog Unit Acting Commander Adam Johnson said the man who had given an account of how he had evaded sniffer dogs at Harbourlife by hiding six MDMA capsules in his underwear “should count himself lucky he wasn’t caught this time”.
“Detection dogs can and do uncover MDMA and I make no apologies for using dogs at these festivals because if it saves just one life it is worth it,” he said.

more -

http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw...georgina-bartter/story-fnii5s3x-1227120054719

 

[drug_mentor]

It seems likely that the drug was MDMA based on what Poledriver has posted, those imports from The Netherlands tend to be ridiculously strong. For her to take 1.5 off the bat she must either have been uninformed how strong they were or not believed the seller when they told her the strength.

Based on what Mister has said she would have consumed about 300mg of MDMA, which is quite a lot, although I have known many many people including myself to consume more than that. It really just goes to show that you can never be too careful, you can always take more if you aren't where you want to be but you can't take back a dose that is too much.