'We need to legalise ecstasy': Grieving mother speaks out after her 15-year-old daughter died because she took MDMA that was 91% pure

GCSE student Martha Fernback, from Oxford, suffered cardiac arrest in July

It came after she took 91% pure MDMA - average street purity is just 58%

Her mother Anne-Marie is now calling for 'strict, responsible' drug regulation



Says it must be legalised so would-be drug users know what they are taking



A grieving mother whose 15-year-old daughter died after taking an 'exceptionally pure' dose of Ecstasy has called for the drug to be legalised so users can make an 'informed decision' about what they are taking.



Teenager Martha Fernback, from the Summertown area of Oxford, suffered a cardiac arrest in July last year after unknowingly taking a 91 per cent pure dose of MDMA - almost double the average street purity.

Now the teenager's mother Anne-Marie Cockburn is calling for Ecstasy to be legalised so those wanting to 'dabble' in getting high can be assured the drug is coming from a trustworthy source.

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Anne-Marie Cockburn, 43, pictured right, from Summertown, Oxford, is calling for Ecstasy to be legalised after her 15-year-old daughter Martha, pictured left, unknowingly took an 'exceptionally pure' dose of MDMA



The 43-year-old also wants to meet top politicians, including the Home Secretary, to discuss her proposals for 'strict and responsible regulation'.



Speaking after the inquest into her daughter's death, Miss Cockburn said: 'We need strict and responsible regulation.

'I'm not a radical person, this has been well considered and thought out. If we had that, Martha would have been able to make an informed decision.

'Martha wanted to get high, she didn't want to die - no parent wants either, but one of those is preferable to the other.'

Martha was studying for her GCSEs when she collapsed in a park on July 20, hours after taking 0.5mg of the drug.



The GCSE student died from a cardiac arrest after taking 0.5mg of the 91 per cent pure drug

She died just hours afterwards at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

At the inquest into her death, the coroner warned other teenagers of the risks of taking drugs, explaining there was ' no way of knowing' how pure they were.

During that hearing, it emerged the drug taken was 91 per cent pure, compared to the average street purity of 58 per cent.

Miss Cockburn said control of drugs needed to be handed over to 'doctors and pharmacists, not drug dealers', to ensure what happened to her daughter did not happen again.



She said: 'What is in place now resulted in what happened to me. Prohibition is outdated and it's not realistic in modern society.

'Strict and responsible regulation is not the soft approach, it's the hard approach. It's taking some control.

'No parent wants their child to take drugs but it would be reassuring to parents to know if they're going to dabble they can get it from a trustworthy source. I think it's highly inadequate what's in place.'



Miss Cockburn is also calling for politicians to improve education about drugs and reform UK policy by disclosing their contents.



She said: 'I wish Martha was sitting her GCSEs alongside her friends at school right now.

‘I wish the drug education she received had enabled her to make a more fully informed decision, instead of leaving her so vulnerable and in danger.’

Miss Cockburn said she was seeking a meeting with senior politicians, including Home Secretary Theresa May and Home Office minister Norman Baker, to discuss the eventual legalisation and regulation of recreational drugs.

She said: 'It has been 328 days since my precious girl was safely by my side.



Miss Cockburn, who wants to meet with the Home Secretary over her plans, said 'strict and responsible regulation' was needed so those who dabble in drug-taking could be assured the drug was coming from a trustworthy source

'I wish Martha was sitting her GCSEs alongside her friends at school right now.

'I wish the drug education she received had enabled her to make a more fully-informed decision, instead of leaving her so vulnerable and in danger.



'Martha wanted to get high, she didn't want to die. No parent wants either, but one of those is preferable to the other' Anne-Marie Cockburn



'I would like to meet with Theresa May, Norman Baker and Yvette Cooper to start a sensible dialogue for change, from prohibition to strict and responsible regulation of recreational drugs.

'This will help to safeguard our children and lead to a safer society for us all by putting doctors and pharmacists, not dealers, in control of drugs.'

Oxfordshire coroner Darren Salter recorded a conclusion of accidental death at the inquest at County Hall in Oxford.

He said: 'It is a terrible loss and I think we can only say that it may at least serve as a warning to young people who may take, or think of taking, ecstasy or MDMA.

'What is clear is that there is no way of knowing what it is made up of or what the purity level is. So, as I say, this is a very stark warning of what can happen.'

The teenage drug dealer who sold the ecstacy that killed the teenager was spared prison last month.

Miss Cockburn said Martha, pictured above, 'wanted to get high, she didn't want to die' when she took the drug



Tributes: Mourners lay floral tributes at the scene in Hinksey Park, Oxford, where Martha died last July



Alex Williams, 17, sold an 'exceptionally' pure version of the drug to a friend of Martha Fernback. Williams pleaded guilty to supplying ecstasy, but instead of the ten-year jail term he might have received, he was given a three-month curfew and an 18-month youth rehabilitation order.

At that trial, prosecutor David Povall said Martha had used the drug before.

He said: 'Martha was saying the drugs were amazing, "It feels like a dream, it's better than the last time that we did it".'

Her friends then noticed that Martha was sweating a lot. She said she was going for a swim in a pond to cool down.

Change: Miss Cockburn said doctors and pharmacists should be put in control of drugs, not dealers

'At that point, Martha collapsed,' said Mr Povall. 'Her legs went from underneath her.' Shortly after arriving at hospital Martha died after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Miss Cockburn described Martha as a 'bright and funny' kid, telling how she used to walk her three-legged rabbit on a lead in Summertown, Oxford.

She added: "Six weeks before she died she was predicted an F in French. I got her a tutor and after she died I collected her GCSE result and she got an A. She was naturally bright.

"I'm just glad that although she had a short life it was a very full life."