A senior Riverina-based paramedic has warned of the dangers of party drugs in the aftermath of the death of a woman at the Stereosonic Music Festival in Sydney.
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Deaths arising from the use of so-called party drugs such as ecstacy are a “tragedy for all involved”, according to Tumut-based paramedic John Larter.
“(The drugs) aren’t illegal for no reason, they’re dangerous and you shouldn’t be taking them, that’s the reality,” he said. “If you’re prepared to play Russian roulette with the rest of your life, that’s for you to do.”
It's almost like Russian roulette – because it's an unknown quantity and quality, people have really no idea of what they're taking and who manufactured it.
- Wagga police crime manager Detective Inspector Darren Cloake
The comparisons with Russian roulette have been echoed by Wagga police crime manager Detective Inspector Darren Cloake, who has seen the “full range” of tragedies arising from incidents where party drug use goes wrong.
“It’s almost like Russian roulette – because it’s an unknown quality and quantity (of chemicals), people have really no idea of what they’re taking and who manufactured it,” he said.
The Eastern University Games in Wagga this year were overshadowed by an ecstacy-induced heart attack suffered by a participant on the eve of the event.
The victim, a 22-year-old man from Sydney, had consumed a near-lethal cocktail of beer, bourbon and ecstacy and was lucky to survive.
Mr Larter said dealing with incidents where party drug consumption turns sour was often difficult for paramedics, who often find it difficult to identify what substances they may be dealing with.
“Quite often because it’s an illegal drug, people obviously don’t want to be forthright about what they’ve taken or, sometimes, they’re not in a position to tell us because they’re unconscious,” he said.
The death of a 25-year-old woman at Stereosonic at the weekend held plenty of lessons for those who partake in illicit drugs, Mr Larter said, and highlighted the consequences at stake for “poor decision making”.