Warwickshire County Council’s community protection member speaks out on the agony of ecstasy
Warwickshire County Council’s community protection member speaks out on the agony of ecstasy
Cllr Richard Hobbs, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for community protection has joined the debate on the reclassification, calling for the need for a clear message to go out to people who use, or are thinking of using, the drug.
Cllr Hobbs was speaking in a week that has seen the Home Office reject the recommendation of its drug adviser to reclassify ecstasy.
With deaths linked to ecstasy averaging between 33 and 50 a year over the last ten years, ecstasy trails well below other drugs such as cocaine and heroin which have resulted in 243 and 876 annual deaths respectively over the same period.
Cllr Hobbs pointed to the fact that ecstasy remains an illegal drug, irrespective of any reclassification and called for young people to receive consistent messages about the dangers of using the drug.
He said: “Whatever the ifs and buts of the row between the government and its drug adviser, the fact remains that ecstasy is an illegal drug and will carry penalties for possession or supply regardless of its classification.
“And whether it is rightly or wrongly classified among other class A substances, the fact remains that, like all other drugs, it can never be entirely safe for the user. There are no quality controls ensuring the user gets what they are expecting.
“This doesn’t only result in deaths, which get the lion’s share of media coverage. For every death, there are hundreds of other users who have a very unpleasant or frightening experience after taking the drug. We don’t hear about these but it is constantly happening all over the country.
“Young people need to have clear information about the dangers of using ecstasy. They have to know enough about the drug to decide if the risk of taking it is worth it. I suggest they ignore the conflicting comments coming from Whitehall and call local experts, such as the staff at the Cranstoun Drug Agency, to have their questions and concerns clearly answered.”
Anyone with questions on the use of ecstasy can call Cranstoun Community Drug Agency for help and advice on 01926 885176.