Pubdate: Thu, 07 Aug 2014
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2014 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/wEtbT4yU
Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Authors: Adrian Humphreys and Sammy Hudes
Page: A1

EVERY PARENT'S NIGHTMARE

Musical Festival Drug Deaths Prompt Mourning, Warnings

Annie Truong-Le, a 20-year old political science student at Toronto's 
York University, volunteered with an afterschool program for students 
in the city's tough Jane and Finch neighbourhood where she grew up. 
Lynn Tolocka, 24, grew up a martial arts enthusiast in a U.S. 
military family who settled in Leduc, Alta., and took time off from 
her catering job last weekend to celebrate her 25th birthday.

Both young women and Willard Amurao, 22, of Ajax died at summer music 
festivals last weekend, one held in Toronto and the other in 
Penticton, B.C. In Toronto, 13 others needed hospital treatment and 
in Penticton 40 people were taken to hospital, two critically, all 
apparently from drug overdoses or tainted drugs.

The three deaths follow that of 21-year-old University of Regina 
Engineering student Nick Phongsavath, who died three weeks ago at the 
Pemberton Music Festival in Pemberton, B.C.

All of the deaths are still under investigation, awaiting toxicology results.

It's the stuff of parental nightmare - seemingly stable, engaged 
young people expecting massive summer fun but instead meeting 
distressing death - making for easy vilification. But even without 
"reefer madness" hysteria, the cluster of deaths and injuries shows a 
clear link between dangerous drug consumption and summer music 
festivals, prompting warnings from police, security specialists and 
health officials.

In Toronto, police have turned the investigation over to the homicide 
squad. Detective Sergeant Peter Trimble said drugs were consumed at 
the Veld festival in a naive state of abandon.

"Some of these people didn't even know what they were taking. We had 
some people taking upwards of 10 pills, some people picking up pills 
on the ground," he said.

The police are asking for anyone who was at Veld and may still have 
drugs they received there to turn them over to police.

"I need to get my hands on these pills so I can get them tested," 
said Det.-Sgt. Trimble.

The electronic dance music subculture and festivals will be part of 
the homicide probe.

"I've never dealt with any type of an investigation out of a rave 
before, but that will be things my team will be looking at," 
Det.-Sgt. Trimble said. The deaths have left family members and 
friends shocked and bewildered.

Ms. Truong-Le was simply too busy to be involved in drugs, said Chris 
Rugel, who worked with her at Toronto's Mentoring Arts Tutoring 
Athletics program. "I was shocked to hear that she had even taken 
something" at Toronto's Veld Music Festival, he said. "But at the 
same time when you're young and having fun, sometimes you do things. 
You're at a music festival and someone passes you a joint or pill. 
But was she involved in that sort of thing? Absolutely not. Never.

"She was just so enthusiastic about helping the kids. They loved her. 
They listened to her, they respected her, which is tough to get kids 
to do," said Mr. Rugel. "Annie was someone this city could have used more of."

She interned last year in the office of Toronto city councillor 
Anthony Perruzza. Mr. Perruzza described her as a "super smart, super 
outgoing, vivacious and committed" young woman.

Mr. Amurao graduated from George Brown College in business 
administration, according social media. Family members declined to 
comment about his death at the Veld festival.

Ms. Tolocka moved around the United States with her family, from 
Alaska to Kansas, in accordance with military postings. When she was 
just six months old her father went to fight in Iraq. Ms. Tolocka 
moved to Leduc in 2006.

"My husband and I practically raised her," said Ms. Tolocka's 
grandmother, Agnes White.

"She was always a go-getter," said Ms. White. "She was always 
laughing in spite of everything. A very kindhearted person... [who] 
just lights up the place."

Ms. Tolocka travelled to Penticton to attend the Boonstock Music & 
Arts Festival, an event she was keenly looking forward to.

Boonstock was celebrating its 10th anniversary with the slogan "Live 
Loud" and featured 90 bands. About 9,000 daily passes were sold. The 
festival's posted "rules and policies" included: "NO Drugs or Drug 
Paraphernalia" and "YES Bring Your Own Alcohol."

Ms. White said her granddaughter's death came as a huge shock because 
she was "so deadly against drugs."

"Who knows? Somebody might have slipped something," she said.

Constable Kris Clark issued a plea during the festival for attendees 
"to refrain from ingesting unknown substances and to ensure that they 
remain hydrated," after the local hospital was flooded by 
concertgoers in distress.

"Dehydration greatly increases the risks associated to overdose by 
alcohol or drugs, as does mixing drugs with alcohol," Const. Clark said.

Billing itself as "Canada's largest electronic music festival," 
Toronto's Veld was held over two days at Downsview Park. With 34 
advertised bands, it attracted an estimated 30,000 people.

Organizers warned attendees not to bring "illegal substances" into 
the park and "everyone entering Veld Music Festival grounds will be searched."

No amount of policing or event security can protect people who make 
unwise choices, said Leo Knight, a former RCMP officer and private 
security consultant.

"Pills are so small, a typical bag search just can't stop it. Unless 
you are prepared for full pat-downs and body cavity searches, you can 
always bring in pills. Prisons have cavity searches and they still 
get smuggled in," said Mr. Knight.

"It's bad drugs. It's the so-called party drugs and it is causing a 
lot of problems. You never know what's going into these things. Some 
of this stuff is really toxic.

"They're playing Russian roulette."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom