City could see rise in synthetic drug deaths
AN OUTREACH worker has warned that Birmingham is facing a rise in the number of incidents involving potent synthetic highs that have been linked to the death of a homeless man.
Marc Blanchette, of Change, Grow, Live, spoke after a user who had smoked ‘black mamba’ died in a city centre walkway near the Town Hall.
Damien Deenan was known as a “really nice guy” by drug and alcohol workers who had supported him before his death in the early hours of Sunday.
Mr Deenan was believed have been 42, said police.
Just a day after the tragedy, other homeless people were found openly smoking black mamba around the city centre, including yards from where Mr Deenan’s friends battled to save his life.
Mr Blanchette said: “It’s a really unfortunate, tragic turn of events and my colleague who worked with Damien knew him as a really nice guy. It’s very sad. I’d like to think I’d be surprised but unfortunately I’m not.
“The amount of synthetic drugs that are being used, particularly among the homeless community, means it’s inevitable we are going to see these kinds of incidents unfortunately.
“We are not at the level of to Manchester yet, but there are more and more homeless people in Birmingham using these substances as a relatively cheap way to block out the worries and concerns they face on a daily basis.”
The community engagement outreach worker had warned in the weeks leading up to the tragedy that synthetic, lab-produced highs were poised to become the drugs of the future.
Black mamba and other varieties were sold legally in shops before being outlawed last April, since when they have continued to be sold illegally as a powerful alternative to cocaine and heroin.
Mr Blanchette said: “We are facing more incidents involving these substances. The harms and risks they carry are huge.
“We’ve got a real concern about it and our homeless outreach team is going to work with Birmingham’s homeless community to make them aware of the dangers around synthetic cannabinoids.
“The police and the courts cannot simply arrest and convict their way out of the problem.
“The key is in public health messages aimed at users and people who might be tempted to try the highly unpredictable substances.”