Charge all dealers with murder
says victim's mother
Family of ecstasy death boy tells campaign launch
zero tolerance message must get through to children
GRAEME STEWART

THE mother of Scotland's youngest ecstasy
victim yesterday called for convicted drug pushers
to be charged with murder or attempted murder.

Phyllis Woodlock, who took the decision to
switch off her 13 yearold son's life support
machine last Thursday, was expanding on her call
at the weekend for courts to crack down on drug
dealers.

Trembling with emotion, she said at the launch of
National Drugs Awareness week: "Our next step
is to try and change the law so that anyone who
supplies or sells drugs to someone else should be
charged with intent to kill or of causing
someone's death."

Andrew Woodlock died last Thursday when
doctors switched off his life support machine
after his parents were told he was brain dead.
Shortly after his death, at Monklands General
Hospital, his mother said the law should be
changed so drug dealers could be given tougher
sentences.

"The court system is a waste of time if they can't
lock people away who have hurt other people
through drugs if they're locked up in jail, they
can't be doing kids any harm," said Mrs
Woodlock, of New Stevenston, Lanarkshire.

Yesterday, she called for everyone to unite in an
effort to round up known drug pushers by tipping
off the police through anonymous calls.

Mrs Woodlock said she also supported David
Macauley, the campaigns director of the
Governmentbacked Scotland Against Drugs,
who sparked a row at the weekend by turning on
drug agencies who advocate "harm reduction",
educating young people on how to take drugs
safely. She said she could understand those
agencies, but claimed the philosophy did not
work.

"I am fed up hearing middle class drug workers
saying there is a safe way to take drugs.

Tell that to my never taken drugs before, it is for the poor children of
this society who are already hooked and have a drugs dependency.

"That is why I am behind Mr Macauley 100 per cent in getting the zero
tolerance message across to our kids in both high schools and primary
schools. It is a time for all of us to stand together united as one and
for some people to admit that just maybe they are wrong and fight this
battle together to help our future generations from taking drugs," she
said.

At the end of her speech, Mrs Woodlock gave a message to the Prime
Minister, Tony Blair. "I voted for the Labour Party to win the election,
not because I expect them to do much for the likes of myself but for our
future generation. Someone has to make this world a safer place for them
to live in."

She said she often wondered where she had got the strength to deal with
the past few days, but had concluded it was "Andrew's spirit reassuring
me he's all right. He's with his grandfather who died earlier this year.

"So let the launch of National Drugs Awareness Week be the parents of
Britain saying enough is enough. It is time to fight back and please
God, let Andrew Woodlock be the last victim of ecstasy."

Netta Maciver, director of Turning Point, the charity which provides
residential and nonresidential care for drug addicts, said there was a
place for the "harm reduction" treatment for addicts, but she did not
think it was of any relevance to a 13yearold boy.

"Harm reduction has worked with people who have used drugs and there is
a place for such treatment for those who have used drugs over a period of
time. But I don't think it has any place with a 13yearold."

Sir Tom Farmer, chairman of the Scotland Against Drugs campaign, said
education, education and more education was the only answer. "If we can
work together, I am quite sure we can make a tremendous difference. We
have to educate children, parents and those in the workplace about the
dangers of drug abuse."