DRUGS REMAIN ALL THE RAVE

THE death of a young man at a NSW rave party has highlighted the need for a
radical change in government policy towards drugs, the mother of ecstasy
victim Anna Wood said yesterday.

A bad batch of illicit drugs is widely reported to have been responsible
for the death of a 26-year-old reveller early yesterday at the Happy Valley
Full Moon festival, a three-day rave in the Cataract Scout Park near Appin,
south of Sydney.

At least 10 other partygoers at the event were treated for drug overdoses.

Angela Wood said nothing had been learned in more than four years since her
15-year-old daughter died after taking ecstasy at a Sydney nightclub.

"I’m very sorry about the death of this young man and I’m very sorry for
his family, but I can’t say I'm surprised," she said.

Mrs Wood said the NSW Government didn’t provide enough hard-hitting
information to make people aware of the dangers of so-called recreational
drugs.

She said the Government spent too much time focusing on the dangers of heroin.

"All drugs have the potential to destroy," she said.