Pubdate: Fri, 07 Aug 2015
Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM)
Copyright: 2015 Albuquerque Journal
Contact:  http://www.abqjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/10

IN TRAGIC TEEN OD, THERE'S JUST NO ONE ELSE TO BLAME

When someone dies, it's common for loved ones to shake a fist at 
whatever deity they believe in and ask "why?" In the U.S. of A., it's 
almost as common to look for someone to blame. And then file a 
lawsuit. Any death of a vibrant young person is a tragedy. When it's 
absolutely avoidable, such as a drug overdose, even more so.

But barring gross negligence, it adds insult to injury to expect 
others to take responsibility for a death an autopsy report 
attributes to an overdose of illegal hallucinogenics - especially 
those who tried to save her life.

Especially when the girl herself purchased the drugs more than a 
month prior. Yet Hannah Bruch's estate has cast a wide net of alleged 
culpability for the 14-yearold girl's fatal MDMA overdose at a 2013 
concert at Expo New Mexico, naming 10 defendants including the state, 
three event co-promoters, security and ambulance companies, a 
hospital and paramedics.

According to a police report, Bruch bought the drug from a dealer in 
June, divided about $100 worth of it among three girls, kept the 
largest share, told the other girls the drug "is more intense than 
what they had taken the last time," and on the August night of the 
foam party ignored the venue's 16-year-old age requirement and took 
five "hits" of the drug in crystalline form, called "shards."

In addition, text messages on the girl's phone and testimony from her 
friends show she had used MDMA before, along with cocaine, marijuana, 
psychedelic mushrooms and alcohol. That pattern and end result are 
every parent's nightmare.

In America you can file a lawsuit apportioning blame to anyone, and 
there's little wonder Bruch's family is asking the court to decide 
who bears responsibility for their tragic loss.

Yet in the wake of Bruch's death the state ended the questionable 
practice of hosting such all-ages electronic music shows, a smart 
call since it failed to adequately enforce the age limit and 
segregate young teens from alcohol-consuming adults in a wild setting 
of pounding music and pulsing lights.

The police report shows the girl was in drug trouble long before the 
"Foam Wonderland" show and purchased what caused her death long 
before heading to Expo.

As horrible as Bruch's death was, expecting everyone there to have 
"the appropriate training for the circumstances" is expecting too much.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom