Paradiso Festival in Seattle has seen an unprecedented number of drug overdoses including one death at this years event.

Held at the Gorge Amphitheatre over the weekend (29th, 30th June) it has been reported that festival goers were peddling a drug promoted as ecstasy, but was actually a cocktail of drugs being toted as “Molly”. Coupled with the extreme heat the festival saw over the weekend meant dehydration and a predictable safety issue.

Quincy Valley Medical centre released stats reporting that the emergency room saw 123 patients over the weekend, including 72 from the concert who were treated and released with 40 to 45 of the issues related to drugs and alcohol.

This proved to be tough work for the centre that stated they average seeing nine people a day. The saddest case came from Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee which reported a 21-year-old man from the Seattle suburb of Des Moines passing away.

A relative of the deceased added comments on Facebook about the need for safety when taking drugs, more than knowing what it is but also the need for water and common sense.

1) “Times like these I hate the news. My second cousin died at paradiso this weekend due the fact that he was dehydrated and on Molly he didn’t od. Yes drugs are bad and I don’t condone them but people need to be properly educated. If your going to do a drug any drug make sure there is other things in your system including food and most importantly water. The lack of H2O in his system caused a brain hemorrhage reaction that turned fatal. I just want people to know this wasn’t just some dumb kid. He had just graduated college and was on track for a high paying job a Boeing and has a large loving family. He was Not some dead beat druggie.”

2) To piggyback on the previous statement: if you are going to go out and get wavey, just make sure to drink water. Drugs do make you feel good sometimes, but water makes you feel even better, all of the time. Thrashing around in 90 degree weather to Kaskade is pretty much equivalent to going on a seven mile run. While you might still go on a seven mile run on meth, you certainly wouldn’t do it without a water bottle. Just because you are wearing wolf hoodie and a neon thong doesn’t mean you have to get rid of all your personal standards. Own the fact that as a human, you are 50-65 percent water. While the other 35-50 percent of your body composition might be “party,” you’ve still got to keep the ratio in check. If Andrew W.K. can do it, so can you.

3) The Gorge is a huge, gaping hole in the middle of the Earth. It’s a beautiful, breath-taking hole, but a hole nonetheless. When festival-going, you may be tempted to scale the Gorge’s cliff faces and float down the river like a vagabond Jimmy Buffet, but again, The Gorge is a giant hole. You will get lost, and it will be hard to find you. Lewis and Clark did some dumb ass exploring in their day too, but they were also champions of the buddy system. If you plan to get all Manifest Destiny over at The Gorge, bring a friend and bring a cell phone. There’s no Sacagawea to guide you to safety at The Gorge, just a lot of drunk people wearing Native American headdresses.

The most unusual case was a 20-year-old Seattle man found disoriented but OK on Monday after wandering lost for hours after taking the drug.