The heartbroken mother of teenage drugs victim Danielle Gibbens has appealed for tougher sentences for dealers, who she said should be hanged, and slammed moves to reclassify the Class A drug ecstasy.
Danielle Gibbens from Ballykelly died on October 5, 2007 after taking ecstasy at a friend’s house in Limavady. She was 19.
Speaking on the first anniversary of her death, Danielle’s mother Mary says the prospect of the Advisory Council On The Misu
se of Drugs reclassifying ecstasy to a Grade B would send out the wrong message, that “to take E is okay”.
“It’s totally unbelievable,” she said.
“If these people who want to do this if they had a son or daughter who died from taking an E they wouldn’t be so fond of downgrading it. It rips lives apart.”
Mary believes that because drugs are cheap and accessible, young people are easily lured in.
“I think of all the times I gave Danielle money that I was actually paying for her drugs,” she said, stressing parents need to keep a close eye on their children.
“Danielle’s lying up there today, and I know she’s in a definitely in a better place. She’s happier, but parents you can’t be so laid back. I never thought it would happen to me, but the drugs are there and they’re cheaper now.
“Always know where you children are, always. Even if they think you’re being too fussy, it doesn’t matter. I know Danielle was 19, but she was still a baby. “
Mary added: “I wish we could rid the world of drugs, just get them out. They (drug dealers) prey on young children and that’s probably where Danielle started. I would hang them. I would seriously hang them.”
The full article contains 307 words and appears in Journal Tuesday Derry Edit newspaper.
