Maryon Stewart has been campaigning to raise awareness of the dangers of “legal highs” for the last year since her 21 year old daughter, a medical student, passed away after being given half a dose of a substance called GBL. Despite getting this and a number of other substances banned Maryon has come to realise that for every ban, there are dozens more so called “legal highs” placed on the market by money hungry chemists in China. It’s become a multi million pound industry from the sales to children as young as 12. Side effects range from severe nose bleeds, depression, paranoia to bladder incontinence, coma and, in some cases, even death.
Maryon has attracted a group of world class experts who are now advising the government. As a result of the campaign later this year “legal highs” will be banned for a year so that the toxicologists can research to find out what’s in each substance, for even when they are labelled, the contents vary and are often a cocktail of Class B drugs and other chemicals. But in order to achieve this objective the toxicologists need equipment and resources. The professors of social science in the group have published extensive research showing that addressing key personality traits in teenagers and improving conversations between parents and their kids can dramatically reduce the usage of drugs, alcohol and legal highs. Maryon continues to campaign whilst at the same time setting up a Foundation, in order to facilitate the achievement of the key objectives of the expert group so that society becomes a safer place for young people and their parents no longer have to lay awake at night fearing that their child may become the next victim.
Daily Telegraph article at the beginning of the campaign
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/5345593/Legal-party-drug-that-killed-student-set-to-be-banned.html
Maryon on ITN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZmBaTP3F6g
Daily Mail article with Maryon’s story
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1189076/Why-wont-ban-GBL-drug-killed-bright-little-bubble-girl.html