‘Educate kids to choose wisely’: Aaron Harper warns parents of party drug dangers

As a former paramedic Aaron Harper has seen first-hand the problem drugs cause in Townsville. He explains the wave of different dangers to drug fads over the decades.

AS A former paramedic Aaron Harper has seen first-hand the problem drugs cause in Townsville.

The Thuringowa MP became a paramedic in 1990 and has seen the damaging effect ecstasy can have on young people.

“They were always challenging, out the front or down the side of a nightclub, people were vomiting with vomit in their airways because of alcohol and drugs, they were incredibly challenging jobs.”

Mr Harper said from what he dealt with nightclub areas were the areas paramedics responded to the most on drug related problems.

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“I’ve got kids and like any parent why wouldn’t you worry about what is out there and what can be offered to your children,” he said.

“So we’re constantly reinforcing good choices (because) you will be confronted in life with these things.

“The reality is it’s out there and we need to do what we can going forward.”

Mr Harper said dealing with the issue of party drugs was a matter for the whole community not just politicians.

“Actually listen to young people and say ‘what do you think?’,” he said.

“We might all have a view but I’m 50 years of age, I don’t want to see my kids put at risk but I think going forward listening to young people is important.

“The bets thing around drug management is educating and informing people on choices.”

During his former career Mr Harper saw a major shift in the type of drugs people were taking in the city.

Mr Harper joined the Queensland Ambulance Service in 1990 and said when he began heroin overdoses were more prevalent than MDMA.

“It was kind of interesting starting back in those days, and then seeing it progress in the late 90s to the 2000s to the MDMA period,” he said.

“Add alcohol and you have a really difficult clinical scenario in managing those period.”

Later on Mr Harper said ice had become a major issue in Townsville too, which was another serious problem.