Stacey Jordan found her sister, Lucy White, almost unrecognisable after she suffered a cardiac arrest caused by taking cocaine. Now, she is calling for an end to the glamourisation of drug use.
The tragic story of Lucy White
Lucy White, a 24-year-old criminology student at the University of Bristol, died in 2018 after taking a line of cocaine that triggered a heart attack. Her sister, Stacey Jordan, rushed to the hospital but found Lucy brain dead. She passed away weeks later.
Stacey recalls Lucy as a "beautiful, full of life" young woman with big plans for travel and helping offenders. Lucy had previously struggled with drugs due to her mother's addiction but had gotten clean and volunteered with the Bristol Drugs Project. However, a relapse led to her eviction from student accommodation, isolation from loved ones, and ultimately her death in a drug den.
"I refuse to allow my beautiful sister to just become another drug-related death, another number," Stacey told The Independent. "She was not a druggie, she was a normal young woman who was happy and had big plans for her future."
Rising cocaine use and deaths
Cocaine consumption in England has risen by a quarter in five years, according to government data. Deaths from cocaine have increased for 13 consecutive years, reaching 1,279 in 2024. The Independent's investigation revealed a sharp increase in availability and purity of the drug.
Stacey finds it difficult to see cocaine use normalised and glamourised in popular culture, at festivals, and in social circles. "You hear a comedian at a show talking about using cocaine, and everyone laughs. But to me it's not funny," she says. "People are detaching talking about it, using it, from the damage it causes."
Call for better education
Stacey advocates for improved drug education for young people, comparable to the research people do before considering cosmetic procedures like Botox. Under the previous government, a 10-year drug strategy was launched with an extra £523 million for drug and alcohol treatment services, but Stacey believes more leadership is needed.
Through her social media group Live for Lucy, Stacey shares her story to prevent other families from experiencing similar tragedies. She honours Lucy's memory by completing bucket list challenges like a 10km race and a skydive. "If anyone thinking about taking cocaine could just hear about my sister's tragic story, it'd change many lives," she concludes.
