How Much is Too Much Ecstacy? The Answer is Six
After being reported missing on April 2, 2018, 15-year-old Jackson Gibbons reportedly died at an under-18 rave. At Lakota nightclub, in Bristol, he phoned his parents and told them he had taken drugs but didn’t tell him where he was. It’s a curious motive, but the intention is even more shocking.
This week, the Avon Coroner’s Court revealed that Gibbons died as a result of taking “six times what would be considered a ‘safe’ level of ecstasy”. His violent shaking and struggle to breathe indicated unsafe levels in his blood. One of his friends neglected to call the ambulance or alert anyone for over an hour after his initial reaction to the drugs.
Dr. Balboa, Jackson’s GP, deemed him a suicide risk for falling in between the ages of 13 and 15. He also reported Jackson being admitted ten times to various hospitals between March 2015 and December 2017. His admittance reason was drug overdoses. This trend in and of itself confirms that the boy seemed to be committing suicide at the club.
The inquest further showed that Gibbons’ friend supplied him with the drugs. They took the drugs along with another friend and threw themselves into an unfit state of mind. It is unclear whether or not either friend will be charged with aiding Gibbon’s death.
With suspicions confirmed, the cause of death was toxic effects of MDMA/ecstasy. We’ve heard of the many deaths from festivals due to heat exhaustion, though we ever expected one to be of suicide. It’s very important to keep your friends safe, folks. If you know they are in a crisis, please help them call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK. They can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
We all have a right to enjoy festivals in our way, but it’s never a good thing to see someone get hurt.