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“Different substances will have different effects on the body at different times, even if ingested by the user on prior occasions,” EMS stated in a news release.

At least Seventeen people were taken to four area hospitals from an electronic music festival in Calgary because of drug and alcohol abuse. The patients were transported on Friday and Saturday from the two-day Chasing Summer Festival, which was held at Fort Calgary and advertised as Western Canada’s largest electronic music festival. EMS transported 10 women and seven men, ranging in age from 18 to mid 30s, from the event to hospital in a range of conditions. One woman in her early 30s was taken to hospital in potentially life-threatening condition, five people were listed in serious, but stable condition, and 11 patients were taken to hospital in stable condition. Many of the patients transported in stable condition were uncooperative and aggressive to first responders and required physical or chemical restraint, and assistance from Calgary Police, in order to ensure their safety, according to EMS. “We need people to understand the risk that they’re undertaking if they ingest these substance under any circumstance, regardless of if it’s in the context of a rave or festival,” said EMS spokesman Stuart Brideaux. “In one instance we saw someone in hospital in potentially life-threatening condition simply from making this choice at this festival.” It’s not clear how many of the 17 patients remain in hospital. In most instances, the sick patients had ingested large amounts of alcohol and at least one other illicit substance, said Brideaux. The illicit substance was frequently MDMA, popularly known as ecstasy, or marijuana and in some cases patients had also ingest cocaine, GHB or Ketamine. “It’s particularly dangerous when people are mixing drugs with alcohol or other drugs,” Brideaux said. “They may have no idea what affect it might have." Brideaux said most of the patients in serious condition had trouble breathing and some were unresponsive. “Without medical intervention, these medical complications carried an extremely high risk of worsening, posing potentially life threatening situations,” EMS said in a news release. The patients were divided among four different area hospitals so as not to overburden one hospital. Brideaux said most of the patients transported to hospital seemed to understand what substances they had taken and how much, and there were no instances of a patient being suspicious they had been given a substance unknowingly. Brideaux said in many instances, patients told medical officials they had taken the same illicit substances in the past without any medical complications. In the wake of the 17 overdoses, EMS is reminding the public there are no safe or prescribed doses for recreational street drugs and that illicit street drugs are unpredictable. “Different substances will have different effects on the body at different times, even if ingested by the user on prior occasions,” EMS stated in a news release. At least six people were transported to hospital from the same festival last summer for possible overdoses.” target=”_blank”>six people were transported to hospital from the same festival last summer for possible overdoses.