Parents have spoken out and shared anti-drugs messages following the deaths of two young people at a music festival.
The Mutiny Festival in Portsmouth was cancelled last weekend after the deaths of 18-year-old Georgia Jones and 20-year-old Tommy Cowan, as a result of taking unknown pills.
Georgia’s mother Janine described her daughter as being “full of life”, adding: “If nothing else I hope what has happened to her will deter you from taking anything ever.”
‘A disastrous mistake’
Tommy’s dad Damian said, “all I can say is ‘take this on board, look what’s happened, if you want to end up that way, carry on’. If you don’t, don’t even think about it.”
Hampshire Police has said that three men remain in custody on suspicion of supplying Class A drugs at the festival.
Writing in The Times, columnist Melanie Phillips warned that loosening drug laws would be “a disastrous mistake”, adding: “Campaigners are tragically misguided in claiming that decriminalisation will solve anything”.
‘Tragedy’
She went on: “This has all happened not because of a ‘war on drugs’ but because of its abandonment. That’s why the Portsmouth tragedy happened.
“To double down on calls for policy changes that will increase the number of drug users still farther is not to promote reform. It is a social death-wish.”
Last year, a father shared shocking images of his son in hospital in a stark warning to other teenagers of the dangers of taking drugs.
‘Worst mistake’
Simon Lindsay’s son Jamie ended up on a life support machine after taking an illegal substance at a Belfast music festival.
In a passionate post on Facebook, Simon wrote: “Jamie went to Belsonic with his friends – but he made the worst mistake he has ever made and almost paid for it with his life.”
Remarkably, the teenager recovered. Simon added: “Don’t take drugs – simple – they kill you. One pill can kill.”