London Club Death Linked To GHB

An unnamed man attending Vauxhall's Fire club collapsed and died after being hospitalised last weekend, in an incident the club's promoters linked to GHB.

"The cause of death has not been confirmed at this stage but we are using this sad incident to highlight the dangers of GHB," said Craid Elder, the Managing Director of Fire's parent group All Things Orange.

"We have been successful for so long with so many top DJ's playing at our clubs because customers know there is a great atmosphere, great music and a safe environment in which to club," he continued. "GHB is the main reason that the New York club scene is in tatters right now and we want to do all we can to eliminate the same thing happening here in the UK."

Though police reportedly praised Fire's on site medical team and clubbers for their efforts to save the victim, the club pointed out their inability to prevent clubbers taking GHB before arriving. Last September, the clubbing goup allocated £20,000 towards an anti GHB campaign, reflecting the concerns of other leading London clubbing organisations including Trade and Turnmills.

"We feel that the current trend of GHB in clubs is spiralling out of control," Turnmills chief Danny Newman warned last April, when they briefly cancelled Trade from their club. "This problem is not just confined to Turnmills but is a becoming a major problem in many gay and straight clubs up and down the country."

Trade were equally concerned at the time, declaring "the proliferation of GHB, in recent times, is a growing menace to the clubbing scene as a whole. A few individuals are in danger of ruining some of the best clubs in the world, for the majority of sensible clubbers," said Trade.

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• GHB