‘I am determined to ensure Dan did not die in vain’: Mother whose son died at Rainbow Serpent calls for pill testing after seven people ‘overdose’ at festival
- Mother who lost her son to drug overdose pens heartfelt open letter to revellers
- Adriana Buccianti’s son Daniel died from a drug overdose at a festival in 2012
- She initially called for the event to be cancelled but now wants to see pill testing
A mother who lost her son after he overdosed at Rainbow Serpent Festival says she now backs pill testing to ensure he ‘did not die in vain’.
Adriana Buccianti’s son Daniel died from a drug overdose after attending the festival in Victoria in 2012.
Mrs Buccainti initially called for the event to be cancelled but has now called for drug reform.
Her comments come as two people are fighting for their lives and five others are in hospital with suspected drug overdoses after attending the festival.
‘I am determined to ensure Dan did not die in vain to be just a statistic. Nothing happens by accident,’ she wrote.
After Adriana Buccianti’s son Daniel died from a drug overdose at the Rainbow Serpent festival in Victoria in 2012 she initially called for the event to be cancelled but i snow calling for pill testing
‘I am determined to ensure Dan did not die in vain to be just a statistic. Nothing happens by accident,’ she wrote.
‘It’s all in the design and I promise to fight for your safety until the end of days or sensible drugs policy; whatever comes first.’
She said the festival was a very special time for her son who would look forward to spending time with his friends in the bush and she said the festival gives others like her son a feeling of belonging.
‘Nothing brings people closer together than a sense of belonging to a community like Rainbow’s; not to mention the great music he wrote.
‘That sense of togetherness and celebration is certainly something to aspire to in this sometimes bleak world.’
However she said while the event gave a great opportunity for young people to find a community of like minded people the risks associated with drugs always had the potential to turn something beautiful like that community into something deadly.
‘Sadly, some of us search for these personal experiences assisted by substances that have the capacity to end life,’ she wrote.
‘It’s not my intention to be a downer. I too am a child of the universe and the 70s. I know the feeling and have also walked the path of finding self.’
Now instead of calling for the cancellation of the vent Mrs Buccianti has called for the introduction of pill testing at music festivals.
She said while the event gave a great opportunity for people to find a community the risks associated with drugs always had the potential to turn something beautiful like that community into something deadly
‘Sadly, some of us search for these personal experiences assisted by substances that have the capacity to end life,’ Mrs Buccianti wrote
‘My promise to you all is simply this; I, together with others, will ensure that a safety net like pill testing will never be off the community radar but front and centre,’ she wrote.
After penning the open letter Mrs Buccianti sat down to talk with 3AW radio.
‘The reality is Daniel did the wrong thing. All drugs are bad, let’s be realistic,’ she said.
‘However, whilst we still have music festivals, I think people have the right to know what’s in them.’
‘And if there had have been a service back then, he would have used it because I can tell you no one wants to come out of there in a body bag, much less my son.’
She finished by saying the last thing her son would have ever wanted was to cause so much heartache.
The Rainbow Serpent Festival has been running since Friday with Monday being the last day of the 2019 event.
She finished by saying the last thing her son would have ever wanted was to cause so much heartache