A mother from Bristol is warning about the dangers of cheap street drugs after her son died following a collapse in a city park. Patricia Gaydon believes the death of her 40-year-old son Steven was linked to the misuse of Xanax, a tranquilliser used to treat anxiety.
Steven collapsed in St James' Park two weeks ago and later died in hospital. His mother visited the park, where a makeshift memorial had been erected, and spoke to those who tried to save him. Family and friends are certain his death was connected to Xanax, which has been known to be mixed with heroin by drug users.
Patricia Gaydon said: 'He was caring, loving and he was my baby, and I lost him to drugs. I tried every which way I could to get him off of it.' Her son Mark added: 'They take whatever drugs available. If they're taking Xanax it's because it's freely and cheaply available and that's the problem.'
The Bristol Drugs Project, which supports addicts, said it was aware of problems linked to cheap drugs and that the situation had worsened during the pandemic. Chief executive Maggie Telfer said: 'What we had particularly seen, a few weeks into the first lockdown, was that the purity of heroin and crack cocaine fell dramatically and that's where you started to get lots of pills around, Xanax being one. Lots of real pills out there but also counterfeit pills.'
Julie Dempster, from Bristol Outreach Services for the Homeless, expressed concern about the impact on the homeless community. Xanax is normally used to treat anxiety and panic disorders and is safe if not misused.
