DRUGS: THE DEATH TOLL

THE trade in illegal drugs has a cost beyond the simple street price of cocaine or ecstasy.

It inspires acquisitive crime and sometimes violence, spreading misery among abusers and those with whom they come into contact.

While the vast majority of drug users suffer no serious ill-effects, every year there are more than 200 drug-related hospital admissions, and some of those end in someone’s death.

Figures released by NHS Digital show there were 198 hospital admissions in Manchester in 2016/17 when the primary reason for the admission was poisoning by illicit drugs.

It compared to 224 admissions the year before and 236 the year before that.

Faye Allen, 17, suffered a fatal reaction after taking a super-strong ecstasy tablet at her first ever rave, at the Victoria Warehouse in Trafford Park, in May 2016.

Her boyfriend bought them from a drug dealer. Both were later jailed.

The drugs - two kinds of MDMA marketed as ‘Ups’ and ‘Mastercard’ - had been smuggled into the venue despite security checks and patrolling sniffer dogs.

A few months later, in December 2016, beautician Lauren Atkinson, 19, collapsed and died in a hotel room after taking two ecstasy tablets branded as ‘Teddy Bears,’ cocaine and laughing gas. She had been partying at the Warehouse Project, but fell ill at City Warehouse Aparthotel.

As recently as last month, a 26-yearold from Rochdale died in hospital after taking a potent new form of MDMA.

He was among eleven people hospitalised after consuming the drug, known locally as ‘pink champagne’ or magic.’

One senior Manchester clubland figure told the M.E.N: “Drug taking is rife no matter what walk of life you think about. There’s an epidemic of Spice on the streets. It would take you no more than 10 minutes to find some.

“Drugs have been around since the 1950s. We’re not going to eradicate it. The big thing now is education and safety.”