Angelus Launches New Web Film Warning of the Danger of Legal Highs

LONDON, October 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

The Angelus Foundation is today launching a new film on its website for young people, http://www.whynotfindout.org. It features stand-up comic Jeff Leach and shows a catalogue of preventable deaths from new psychoactive drugs.

The film launch comes the same day as the broadcast of the BBC3 programme to 'Old Before my Time' on Monday 28 October at 9pm, highlighting the scale of risky behaviour some young people are taking by consuming unknown and untested substances.

Experimenting with legal highs has been shown to be high-risk behaviour, which could be addressed by a concerted programme of drugs education in schools. Last year, in England and Wales, there were 52 deaths from legal highs, compared to 29 the previous year, and a further 47 in Scotland. Legal highs can cause anything from long-term psychosis, paranoia, deep depression, irreparable bladder damage and impaired eyesight.

Angelus is the only charity dedicated to raising awareness of legal highs and club drugs. Angelus is also helping to address the concerns of parents by issuing the free handbook 'Talking to your Children about legal highs and club drugs', in partnership with the charity Adfam and the Club Drug Clinic.  

The founder of Angelus, Maryon Stewart said: "Our new film really highlights the huge risk young people are taking with legal highs, sometimes with their lives. No-one can stop people experimenting with substances but if they are armed with better information they can make a better choice and stay safe. The scenes in the BBC3 documentary also shown today are horrifying to any parent. But Angelus is also a vital resource of information for parents to learn about the substances themselves and to follow our guide to talking about legal highs."

Notes to Editors:

1) The author and broadcaster Maryon Stewart lost her 21 year-old daughter, Hester, to GBL in 2009 and established the Angelus Foundation. It is the only drugs charity dedicated to combating legal highs and club drugs and today launches a brand new film for young people on its website http://www.whynotfindout.org.There is also a site for families http://www.angelusfoundation.com/parents/

2) The new film on the website http://www.whynotfindout.org includes interviews with Maryon Stewart and members of other families who have lost someone to legal highs or who have been severely damaged by them.

3) The Angelus parents booklet, produced in partnership with Adfam and the Club Drug Clinic sets out the context of legal highs and how to hold conversations with young people about them. A Mentor survey showed 58% of 11-15 year olds looked to their parents for advice on drug matters. It can be downloaded for free at http://www.angelusfoundation.org/parents .

If you wish to interview Maryon Stewart, please contact:
 
Aimee Gentry at the Angelus Foundation on:
 
T: +44(0)8451771070
E: aimeegentry@angelusfoundation.com or contact@angelusfoundation.com
 
 
http://www.angelusfoundation.com
Twitter: @angelustweets
http://www.whynotfindout.org
Twitter: @whynotfindout
The Angelus Foundation is a UK registered charity
Registered in England and Wales no. 1139830