Freshers' fatal attraction to drugs

DRUG-TAKING and university life almost seem to go hand in hand. Admit it, talking about student life and getting spaced is hardly going to shock the nation.

What has shocked us, though, is that four young people, three of them at higher level education in Newcastle, lost their lives in just one night to drugs.

Condolences to each of the families involved and huge empathy from so many parents who know they can’t judge, they can’t condemn, they can only hope that their child does not become a casualty, and that somehow their child can ignore the seductive lure drugs seem to offer. Maybe that lure is stronger this year with every campus or city lockdown that comes their way. Are students so starved of distractions and entertainment this year that they feel they must create an escape within their own four walls?