A 22-year-old punter who died at last year's Rainbow Serpent festival in Victoria is found to have had 16 substances in his bloodstream.
As ABC reports, coroner findings showed that Jacob Langford had taken ketamine, cocaine, diazepam and Xanax in the hours leading up to his death, and that "some of his friends told him to 'pull up' as they believed he was using too much".
Paramedics were called around 10.15pm to the festival in January last year but Langford had already passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest.
A post-mortem examination found a total of 16 different substances in Langford's bloodstream or urine, including MDMA, alcohol and temazepam.
The coroner also confirmed earlier reports that the Kensington local was given a bottle containing amyl nitrate at the event and instead of inhaling the vapour, he swallowed the contents.
"When his friends realised what had occurred, they yelled at him to vomit," the Coroner wrote in the findings.
"Mr Langford attempted to vomit but could not and started to cough. He became weak and started to collapse."
The report has led to calls of drug reform from Victorian Upper House MP Fiona Patten.
"This was a death that could have been avoided," Patten said.
"A young man at 22, who was clearly experimenting with different drugs, but was doing so without any information.
"While they think they can be arrested and while they can be arrested just for using drugs in Victoria, seeking that information and providing that information is so much more difficult."
Rainbow Serpent organiser Tim Harvey also backed the call.
"Harm reduction and drug law reform experts around the world and in Australia are advocating for a dramatic evidence-based change in how this extremely complex issue is tackled," Harvey said.
"Australia desperately needs to follow the leadership of countries like Portugal, Ireland and Canada and enact evidenced-based reform to help reduce the number of unnecessary tragedies resulting from illicit and prescription drug use."
Comments