North Yorkshire Police advice to young people on drugs

Officers in Scarborough are warning anyone who has recently acquired MDMA or other illegal drugs not to take them after the tragic death of a 14-year-old girl in the town.

Police were called to an address in Scarborough yesterday (May 20) by ambulance crew where they found two girls who were unwell and taken to hospital.

Tragically, a 14-year-old girl was pronounced dead at hospital a short time later and a 13-year-old girl remains in hospital. Her condition is not believed to be life-threatening.

Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Wright, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “Although our investigation is at an early stage, I would urge anyone who has acquired MDMA or other illegal drugs recently not to take them. If you have taken such a drug and feel unwell, it is vital that you seek medical help immediately."

Last month the force warned of an increase in availability and use of 'edibles' across North Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire Police’s School Liaison Team alerted parents and carers about the drug-infused sweets and chocolate, a worrying trend which had been flagged-up as a concern through Multi Agency Child Exploitation meetings.

PC Lauren Green said: “We want to make parents and carers aware that we have seen a slight rise in young people being in possession of drug-infused sweets known as “edibles”.

“They can look very similar to well-known sweets such as Haribo, Smarties and chocolate bars.

“Edibles can be laced with illegal drugs such as cannabis and MDMA.

“Unregulated sweets like these are dangerous as we don’t know what levels of drugs they contain.

"They are available to buy on the internet and so could easily be obtained by young people, especially at this time when they are using the internet more than ever due to the coronavirus restrictions.”

The force's advice page states: "No drug is risk free. But if you are going to use drugs then it’s important to be informed and to know the facts – people often think they know about drugs when actually all they know are urban myths and rumours that other people have told them.

"Being misinformed can lead to poor decisions so why not find out more visiting the FRANK website"

Where to get further support:

Easy Help (age 0-19)

North Yorkshire County Council’s Early Help Teams work closely with families, schools, health teams and other key partners to provide the right level of support at the right time.

They will support parents and carers with concerns you may have about their child/young person.

Telephone: 01609 780780 or Email: [email protected]Healthy Child Team (age 5-19)

The NHS’s Healthy Child Team promotes and protects the health and wellbeing of all children and young people. They work with families to empower them and enable them to make informed decisions about health, and to support them in transitioning safely and happily into adult life. Find out more here.

Compass REACH (age 9-19 years)

Compass REACH is the specialist young people’s drug and alcohol treatment provider for those young people who have been screened as having moderate or high levels of need with regard to substance misuse/alcohol.

Email [email protected] or visit the website here.

North Yorkshire Horizons (age 18+)

North Yorkshire Horizons is the adult drug and alcohol recovery service for North Yorkshire. They provide a range of free, confidential and non-judgemental services for individuals and their families. Visit the website here or call 01723 330730.

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