As Valborg and May Day approach, Swedish police are warning about the dangers of alcohol and drug use among young people during this time. In neighboring Norway, six young people in Halden were recently hospitalized after consuming a suspected new synthetic drug. The symptoms they displayed were unprecedented, causing hallucinations and intense pain. The Norwegian poison information center is now cautioning Swedish youth to keep watch over their drinks and avoid accepting substances from strangers. The identity and dosage of the new drug are still unknown, and the hospitalized individuals’ samples are being analyzed. Swedish police are not yet aware of this new substance, but they urge people to be cautious about what they consume as it could be a matter of life and death.
Valborg and May Day are just around the corner and Swedish police have already been out and about because that weekend is known to be young people’s first contact with alcohol and drugs.
During this weekend’s Russian celebrations, six young people in Halden had to be taken to medical care after ingesting what Norwegian police suspect is a new synthetic drug.
According to Dan Jacobsen, chief physician at the Poisons Information Centre, the symptoms must have been “unusual”.
– It is about a disease picture we have not seen before. They hallucinate and scream in pain, he tells VG.
Swedish youth are warned
Now the Norwegian poison information center is warning Swedish young people about Walborg.
– Take care of each other. Keep an eye on your drink and don’t accept alcohol or drugs from strangers, says Anita von Krogh, senior advisor at Poison Information.
In Norway, they do not yet know what kind of new drug it is, how it is dosed, or how it is taken, but Anita von Krogh still mentions drink.
– Don’t drink from other people’s bottles, she says and adds:
– Avoid experimenting with new things.
The six young people who were admitted over the weekend have all been allowed home and their samples are now being sent for analysis to find out what may have caused their symptoms.
Swedish police have so far no information about the suspected synthetic drug.
– It’s not something I know of that we’ve got on our radar. But in general you can say that it is of the utmost importance that you know what you are mouthing. You have no idea what someone else is offering you, or what you have received on the internet. You play with your own life, that’s how it is, says Anders Dahlman, press spokesperson for the Bergslagen region.