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Updated 7:36 pm
A MAN IS being held in Garda custody tonight in relation to an incident where six young people were hospitalised after taking the psychoactive substance 2C-B.
Four people were arrested yesterday in relation to the incident. Three of them were released today without charge.
One man in his 20s is still being held by gardaí at Bridewell Garda Station in Cork.
There is no indication yet if he has been charged.
Disturbing scenes
Earlier today, a Cork man described walking in on the blood-covered scene where four young people had taken the psychoactive substance.
The six young people were hospitalised after a house party on the south of the city.
Speaking this morning, Gerard Banks told Neil Prendeville Show on Cork’s Red FM that “it’s hard to describe the levels of blood” in the house when he entered.
He told the show that himself and his friend were walking by the house on Pouladuff Road at about 3am yesterday morning when they heard “crazy noises” and “not your average shouting” coming from the house.
“We looked in the window to see what was going on and it was crazy. The bedroom was covered in blood. Curtains, floor, inside it was everywhere,” he said, adding that they then shouted inside.
A guy came to the window and you could see he was out of his head and on drugs, but he wasn’t as bad as the rest of them. When he opened the front door that’s when the reality hit home, when we went in it was very much like a scene from CSI. The whole place was covered in blood and all we could hear was shouting and screaming.
Inside, he described seeing a man and a woman both naked and covered in blood. He said that the male appeared to have a head injury and was badly cut. The woman was dancing on the couch and, although she was covered in blood, Banks couldn’t determine whether it was her blood or someone else’s.
On the floor, he saw another young man who appeared to be in cardiac arrest.
They didn’t know what they were doing, they were completely out of it, they didn’t know they were covered in blood. They didn’t know they were hurt, they didn’t know there was a guy on the ground who looked like he was in cardiac arrest. The whole house was smashed up. There was blood everywhere, unless you were actually in there it’s hard to describe the levels of blood.
Banks told the show that he attempted to calm the others in the room and stop them from hurting themselves further as his friend helped the man on the ground.
“I started trying to calm everyone down, to keep my friend safe, but also to try stop them hurting themselves.”
“There was a bike on the ground and he was cutting himself and he didn’t even realise it.”
“These weren’t bad people, it was like as if the drug had taken over and they had no idea what was going on.”
Banks said that a neighbour had called the gardaí who arrived with a large group of paramedics:
When I opened the door to the gardaí, they first of all saw me and then they saw the levels of blood and the guy behind me naked, covered in blood. You could even see that they were in shock themselves. There was a lot of paramedics as well and, in fairness to the gardaí and paramedics, it was so surreal everyone was in such a state of shock anyway.
Warning
A HSE statement yesterday evening confirmed that the drug in question was 2CB.
The HSE says the drug is “one of the new psychoactive substances similar to those products previously sold in ‘headshops’”.
That stimulant in question can have similar effects to ecstasy or MDMA at low dosages but at higher dosages can have psychedelic or hallucinogenic effects. The drugs can be administered in either tablet, powder or liquid form.
The HSE is warning young people that there is “no quality control on these drugs”.
There are problems with purity and contaminants, and there is no way of checking that what is purchased or consumed is the intended substance.
“Given the serious side-effects experienced by the young people in Cork, the HSE Addiction services are issuing a warning about possible contaminated ‘party pills’ and advise people not to consume any unknown substances that they are offered at this time.”
Loophole
Following the HSE’s comparison between 2CB and psychoactive substances formerly sold in headshops, Minister for Drugs Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said this afternoon that the law is “always playing catch up” with new drugs that are being synthesised.
Speaking on Lunchtime with Jonathan Healy on Newstalk, the minister said that although drugs like 2CB are “not strictly legal” they are not on a list of banned or controlled substances.
“There’s kind of legal loophole in terms of the legality of these substances,” he said.
“We are always playing catch up, you will be aware of the High Court case that happened last March and we had to rush emergency legislation to ensure that we plugged that particular gap.
We have to get to a situation where people understand exactly what substance they are taking. The whole ‘just say no’ mantra has been dispelled a long-time ago we know young people are going to experiment it’s what they do, many people don’t. But these are the tragic consequences of experimenting with substances which they don’t know what it’s involved.
Originally published 7.37pm
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Political correctness gone mad
Yes Brian, it’s a nasty word, but context is the thing here. An innocent ‘mistake’ receiving the ultimate punishment, stupid really.
Had he said the word that would be one thing. .. but it’s in a song and plenty of black rappers are nig**r this and that with the biatches and the hoes. .. We live in a society where people are becoming addicted to being offended
I think we should ban the letter N
That would be letterist, let’s ban the complete alphabet….
I remember a memo went around a few years ago in the retail store where I worked and we were told not to say black bags when referring to refuse bags in case it was deemed offensive ! Like seriously they are black and they are bags , mad .
Coloured bags…or is that offensive too?
Did a coaching course recently and was training 11 year old lads. A few points you were made to remember were as follows:
1) Under no circumstances use the word ball on its own, always football or soccerball.
2) When picking teams at random, never have minorities in the same team (two lads in the class not ethnic Irish)
3) And finally, no matter what happens eg. a bad fall, never make any kind of physical contact eg. hand on shoulder………..
Its gone to fuc*
Baing the letter would be osense. I say o to that proposal.
Will Tim Westwood a white BBC DJ who plays rap songs which use that word sometimes dozens of times in one song,be asked to ‘fall on his sword’?
Liberalism is the new Fascism.
This is, without a doubt, political correctness gone mad. Comparing a DJ losing his job the realities of authoritarian nationalism is pure histrionics, though.
“Liberalism is the new fascism” sounds like a headline from the Daily Mail or the title of a Fox News segment.
In fairness Tim Westwood should ne sacked for a lot of reasons.
Stupid who ever complained has way to much time on their hands…..
Sure its generally black lads who use the word “nigg#r” in their lyrics so I don’t see how they can be offended! Reinstate that man.
Absolutely ridiculous. I listen to Eazy E all the time and love to sing along. I bet if the song had white trash or cracker in it, there would be no issue
The N word never doesnt appear anywhere in any of Eazy’s records
Why is everybody hating on this comment?! It’s spot on!
Do BBC not play any Kanye West?
Kanye West isn’t black. He is a gay fish
No he’s not he just likes fish sticks
But that means he’s a gay fish?
has he a beard
A gay beard.
ITV1 got in trouble about 2 years ago for playing exactly the same song, don’t think anyone was fired though. We’re deteriorating fast if we can’t accept a genuine apology from someone who was unaware he was doing anything wrong. He’s just lucky he didn’t read out Huckleberry Finn on the air, he’d be in the stocks by now.
I remember that. The presenter above has played the song many times on his show over the years. But this version was new to him. When word that he was fired reached senior levels at the BBC, in fairness, they directed he be reinstated. But he has medical condition he says has been acutely exacerbated by the stress of the last few weeks and he needs time to recover.
There should be disciplinary action for those that handled it so badly.
World gone mad. Who would know the lyrics of an 80 odd year old song. I’ll tell you, someone who is 95 with an exceptional memory. ;)This guy only looks in his 60′s. And he got the sack after one complaint. Jeremy Clarkson is allowed to insult any one and still will. The difference, he does it on purpose and his show is one of the most syndicated in the world. If I remember correct, something like 168 countries= massive revenue.
Apologies 60 countries.
Total overkill. He himself was unaware the song contained the lyric as he played a version by a different band. It was only when he played it back later he realized the reference was in the song, and it’s barely audible. He then apologised twice on air and to colleagues. It was his immediate boss that should have to fall on her sword for firing him.
Jeremy Clarkson gets a slap on the wrist by the BBC for using the N word, this guy loses his job.
Its all about money at the end of the day. Clarkson brings in serious money to the BBC so they will never get rid of him. This chap however is expendable in their eyes and his job loss is a token gesture against “racism”.
One word, ridiculous
Pure and utter madness!
What will the good old BBC call the New Zealand rugby team next year, now there’s one, us some commentator going to get the chop .
Gerry, what about the All ‘very, very, very, very, very, VERY dark blue’ New Zealand team?
Apparently, the BBC are ignoring political correctness with their Croatian sitcom, You’ve Been Serbed.
If your that easily offended, then go f&#ck off then!!!
Theres p.c. mad and theres this. Silly
I guess the BBC will never show Chitty Chitty Bang Bang again so as it depicts a child catcher,a man that uses his powerful position to impose himself on vulnerable children.
Time to break out Blazing Saddles. Up yours ni99er!!!
Ok. But we don’t want the Irish.
I get no kick from champagne.
Absolute nonsense, I think the BBC are trying to make up for something else here!
What has happened to the concept of free speech?
I am sick to death over this political correctness era. You’d be afraid to say boo to someone these days.
The meeja has been taken over by a black one-eyed, one legged lesbian who works in the vatican.
BOO….I’m so sorry,I never intended to cause pain over that gesture. It wasn’t big or clever and I now must take responsibility for my actions
Yes. I once tried to make a post with the word snig@er in it and it wouldn’t post on here.
Took me ages to figure out what was happening.
As Lenny Bruce once said, it’s not the word that’s wrong it’s the context. The man didn’t even say it. Give him a break.
Warner Brothers have added a disclaimer before some more politically risqué content.
The argument, that would be the same here, is the content is a product of its time and any censoring of the stuff would be to deny the past and where we came from. No offence is intended, but the chance of offence should diminish the cultural addition the content represents shouldn’t be erased now that our political viewpoint has expanded to closer to where it should be.
Link:
http://www.barking-moonbat.com/images/uploads/PC_Warner_Bros_cartoons.jpg
Even thejournal is at this PC crap as I can’t post a link to one of my favorite books by Joseph Conrad
Westwood
Ha, pump ma ride ,UK!
Song of Sly and the Family stone: “don’t call me N- word, Whitey! Don’t call me whitey, N- word” to put on the radio like that no jealous. I wrote whitey because I am one. Peace!
The same people who deem this dismissal appropriate would no doubt tut sanctimoniously over honour killings and stonings for heresy as “barbarous superstition”.
In fairness try reciting eeny meeny miney moe without saying the N word !
Say tiger instead of the n word,
I read at the time he mumbled that part giving viewers the idea he may or may not have said it.
Not that
I condone racism but this has
Gone way too far. Too many
Gobsh*tes are being allowed impact
Everything and anything “non PC” and it’s
Ruining good people’s lives.
Shame on them.
Whats wrong with the “N” word ?
Nothing. You should use it.
We’d like to extend a laurel and hardy hand shake to our new,,,,,,, Nixxer
Yep. PC gone way too far.
What a load of bollocvjs
While I would never condone calling someone a nig ger, it’s always a pejorative term, does it matter whether you write “n-word”, “nig***”? It’s the same word in my head.
Why was the link to The Observer article on Enda Kenny’s n***er joke removed? That joke was far worse than a DJ playing an inappropriate song and it was made by the “leader” of our country.
Worlds gone mad. Only a blinking song
Honkies be trippin yo
Its like irish people getting upset over patty instead of paddy
Check out Tim Minchin on Prejudice and how words can be used to harm. http://youtu.be/KVN_0qvuhhw
Knick knack paddy whack give the dog a bone your old man came rolling home
is that a reference to bestiality there eoin?
I was once in an oil port called Punta Cardon in Venezuela where there were many members of a black tribe that the Mormons reckon are the remnants of one of the lost tribes of Israel. They are mostly ginger so how could you describe them without breaking the PC rules? I only wish that I had a photo to show.
I’ve not heard a watered down version of fairy tale of new York with the f word removed nor Hurricane by Dylan with the n word removed.
didn’t ronan keating (or one of those other ‘boyband ‘ gobshit*s) do a version of fairytail and instead of ‘fag got ‘ used the word haggard ? either way it was dire!
Pc gone nuts in some schools now u can’t use the word black board and in the rhyme eeney meany the n word was always used so why now should we not be allowed say it this race card is something else
Double standards bet that appears in rap all the time
have your say