LSD WAS A FACTOR IN U.S. STUDENT'S DEATH AT CAPILANO: CORONER

A 17-year-old American student who fell to his death from a viewing
platform at the Capilano Suspension Bridge last June was high on LSD
and had previously been caught by a school chaperone in an
out-of-bounds area, says a BC Coroners Service report.

Coroner Mark Coleman concluded that LSD was a contributing factor in
the death of Daniel Cho, a student at Aragon high school in San Mateo,
Calif.

Cho was on a trip with his music class from the San Francisco area. It
was part of an exchange program with a group of students from
Killarney secondary school.

According to the report, Cho was high on LSD after taking the drug
with two other students on a bus ride from Seattle to Vancouver on
June 6, the day of the accident.

The report notes how adult chaperones for the students noticed Cho and
others behaving oddly and having difficulty filling out their customs
forms when crossing the border. Chaperones notified a faculty member
of the strange behaviour, who apparently intended to speak to the
students when they returned to their hotel after a field trip to the
North Vancouver park.

The report says that when the students reached the park, Cho was still
believed to be under the influence of the drugs and acting strangely.
It says witnesses saw Cho "bumping into or pushing people, tripping or
falling off of steps, and appearing to be very angry and upset."

At one point during the tour of the park, which features steep
surrounding cliffs, Cho was caught climbing over a railing into an
out-of-bounds area and told by a chaperone to stay on the path.

By this point, the two students who had taken the LSD with Cho had
sobered up and tried to calm him down. Cho reportedly responded
aggressively toward them and when the students turned their backs on
him, he jumped another railing, resulting in a 30-metre free fall to
the bottom of the Capilano ravine.

The report says Cho may have assumed that on the other side of the
railing was a forested area, as was the case for the first railing he
climbed over.

While no one saw Cho fall, the report concluded there is no evidence
he intended to hurt himself. It indicates that LSD was a factor
because it impaired Cho's judgment.

The death was ruled accidental and the cause was determined to be
blunt force injuries, including severe brain injuries.

The coroner's report stated Cho was not known to have any significant
medical or mental health conditions and that, according to the other
students, it was his first time using LSD.

North Vancouver RCMP said the investigation did not provide sufficient
evidence to warrant criminal charges.

Cpl. Peter De Vries said the tragedy highlights the dangers of taking
drugs.

"You very often can't predict the effect. This is one example of one
of many tragedies when people take drugs. I think the message is very
clear: Drugs can have severe consequences. This is obviously very hard
for [Cho's] friends and family and our heart goes out to them."