Legal Highs: Ban At Reading Leeds Festival

[Jazzy]

The parents of a man who died after taking a "legal high" drug have welcomed a decision by the organisers of a music festival to ban the products from their sites.

Christopher Scott, 23, from Swindon, died at the Great Western Hospital in July after taking the chemical marketed as AMT (alpha-Methyltryptamine).

His father Michael says the family are "so pleased" that promoters of the Leeds and Reading Festivals have banned the sale or use of legal highs at the events this weekend.

"Everybody knows illegal drugs - there's a big risk behind them - but as soon as you start saying 'oh it's a legal high' you get the misconception that it's okay," said Michael.

"They think it's not dangerous, it's legal, so it must be fine. And then they get the impression they can take as many as they want."

Christopher was a father of three and only after his death did his family find out that his partner was pregnant with his fourth child.

The Government finds it hard to legislate against the drugs, as whenever one is banned the manufacturers only have to make slight changes to the chemical formula in order for the new compound to be legal again.

Former legal highs Mexxy and Black Mamba are now classified as Class B drugs, and are therefore illegal.

Sky News bought a number of the legal highs from a shop in the North of England, including AMT which Mr Scott took.

They are also freely available on the internet.

Full article

"Festivals have banned the sale or use of legal highs at the events this weekend." Do they really think this is going to stop anyone from still using the legal highs at the Festivals?

 

[Evil Eye]

Probably not. However, it might inspire some caution in people who would've otherwise used them.
It can't hurt, I guess.

 

[Raven]

It won't stop people who want to take them, but I think it will stop the experimenters. I've been past several of these stalls before and thought hmmmm, might try it.... but then spotted the bar

I do know people who have gone up to those stalls, been miss sold (people at the stall were sniggering when they sold it to them, knowing it's effects) and had one hell of a trip, said they'd never do it again.

I'm glad to see them banned.

 

[Sinon]

I'm one of the people who think if you take drugs, regardless of them being called "legal highs" or not, you deserve whatever happens to you. Died because you overdosed? Good riddance, dumbass.