Hartlepool mum reiterate calls for festivals to take drug taking more seriously
It comes as Glastonbury starts this week
As Glastonbury starts today, a Hartlepool mum is re-iterating her calls for tougher ways to tackle drug taking at music events this year.
19 year-old James Houghton died after taking fatal amounts of ecstasy at Leeds Festival in 2013.
His mum, Paula, said: "My daughter lost her precious brother and my husband lost his adored son. My beautiful and loving son died with no family or friends with him. Just gone.
"He was excited about his future and was so looking forward to having a great time at Leeds Festival. Whilst he was there he took MDMA, or ecstasy, and had an adverse reaction. He collapsed and was taken to the medical tent where he had cardiac arrest. The doctors tried to revive but he couldn't be saved.
"James's toxicology report showed traces of various substances like aspirin and even ADHD medication, which had been added to the pills he took.
"I'm still here just as loving to my family but I'm not complete. Devastated and heartbroken are overused words but they're the only words to describe the pain of losing your child. We've had to live without our gorgeous James. The pain and sadness doesn't relent. It deepens and you just learn to live with it.
"I'd like to see a law that deaths due to illegal drug taking statistics are clearly given on advertising sites and literature including the ticket themselves, remind us about the risks associated with drug taking should be clearly displayed around the site and information about what to do in an emergency situation.
Paula has this message for parents whose children will be going to music festivals this summer: "I'd say sit with them now and do some research together. Educate yourself as much as you can. James and I were so close and had even had discussions about drugs. He had given me reassurances that he wasn't interested in taking them, and he wouldn't even take a paracetamol for a headache, but he still popped those ecstasy pills."
Organisers of Glastonbury say dealing and using illegal drugs is not condoned and people are at risk of being evicted if found with them.