Guidance on illegal drug use issued by authorities across Northamptonshire

09 September 2024

Northamptonshire Combatting Drugs and Alcohol Partnership wants anyone who becomes unwell after taking illegal drugs to seek medical help. This advice comes after a small number of people became very unwell after attending the Illusive Festival in Corby yesterday.

Officers attended the Illusive Festival yesterday afternoon after being made aware that a woman had become seriously ill at the site. Sadly, she later died and a man in his 20s also became critically ill.

We continue to work with those in charge of the festival and colleagues in Public Health to establish the cause and urge anyone else who feels ill having attended the event to seek medical help.

An investigation to establish who may have supplied illegal substances at the festival is underway and I would urge anyone with information that may assist this work to contact us on 101 or via northants.police.uk.Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Tuff, Northamptonshire Police

We would always advise against the use of illicit drugs. Nobody can be sure what is in the drugs that they buy, or the effect the drug might have on them. We also advise that if you have taken an illicit drug and feel unwell, that you seek medical help and call 999 if you feel you need urgent medical assistance.

If you are worried about your drug use, and would like support, help is available.
Jane Bethea, Chair of Northamptonshire Combatting Drugs and Alcohol Partnership and Director of Public Health in North Northamptonshire Council

In Northamptonshire, you can self-refer for support through STAR Northamptonshire.

If you do use illicit drugs, even occasionally, please follow harm reduction advice:

• Avoid using drugs which seem different to normal
• Avoid mixing drugs, including mixing drugs with alcohol
• Don’t use a drugs alone, so someone is there to get help if things go wrong
• Go low and slow. Use a smaller amount first to test the effects. You can’t tell how strong something is by what it looks like
• If you think someone you are with could have overdosed, don’t leave them. Call 999 and stay with them until the ambulance arrives
• If you carry Naloxone and think someone is overdosing but you aren’t sure what they’ve taken, you can still give them Naloxone. It won’t hurt them and it could help them