By: Jeremy Rowley and Jeff Victor
UW student Triston Harvey’s death was caused by a combination of drug use and an atherosclerotic cardiovascular (artery and heart) disease that induced cardiac arrest, according to a Laramie Police Department (LPD) press release sent out on Tuesday.
First responders found Harvey not breathing on the morning of January 31, 2015. According to the LPD release, the manner of his death was accidental, caused by lack of oxygen to the brain after falling into cardiac arrest.
Harvey’s toxicology report returned positive for two hallucinogenic drugs, 25C-NBOMe and 25I-NBOMe, “often referred to as synthetic LSD,” according to the LPD press release.
Stefanie Jones, nightlife community engagement manager for the Drug Policy Alliance said confusion about the drugs one is taking—a common occurrence in NBOMe overdoses—can have tragic results.
“The NBOMe series of drugs is dangerous in that the dosing is very sensitive,” she said. “LSD is active at the microgram level. NBOMe is even smaller.”
According to a World Health Organization report on the drug 25I-NBOMe, users often erroneously think they are taking LSD because the dealer or supplier lied or was mistaken.
The Ehrlich’s test, also known as the DMAB test, can be used to determine whether a substance is true LSD or another substance. Another quick test, Jones said, was holding the drug under a black light.
“LSD actually glows under a black light,” she said. “Substances that mimic LSD generally do not. It’s not 100 percent accurate, but it’s a good indication of whether you have LSD or a copycat.”
Chad Baldwin, the director of Institutional Communications at the University of Wyoming spoke in response to the death of Triston Harvey on behalf of the university.
“We’re saddened at the loss of any student,” he said. “Of course, this took place a number of months ago and we were aware of that. We were saddened then and we’re saddened now.”
The university has a “robust” program regarding both drugs and alcohol education that give students the information they need, Baldwin said.
“This event, I think, points to the need for continued vigilance both in enforcing the law and educating students about the dangers of illicit drugs,” he said. “All students make mistakes. Students make poor decisions sometimes.”
Jones said campuses should have programs that promote responsible use.
“Higher quality, more realistic drug education in schools and on campuses would help,” Jones said. “For people who already have the substances and are determined to use them, it’s a way to reduce harm and accidental deaths.”
