Drugs and health - 'City has never seen anything like GBL'

The collapse of three young men at a house party in the Capital is another warning, if it were needed, of the dangers of liquid Ecstasy.

The banning of the drug following the death of Scots clubber Stephanie Balcarras, 22, in Blackpool, two years ago, appears to have done little to stop its availability in the Capital.

These days, the law struggles to keep up with the work of illicit chemistry laboratories which constantly churn out new "legal highs" alongside banned substances.

That makes it all the more confusing for parents and dangerous for young people who do not know what they might be taking if they decide to experiment.

Drug support workers warn that liquid Ecstasy or Gamma Butyrolactone, known as GBL or simply G, is one of the worst.

They have never seen anything like it in Edinburgh in terms of how quickly users can become hooked and the severity of withdrawal symptoms. It has also been known to cause severe breathing problems when mixed with alcohol.

Once best-known as a date-rape drug, it is still popular among clubbers for the "high" it can create.

It is reassuring to know the police have clearly given this case the highest priority and taken swift action.

But as well as the need for continuing police enforcement, this apparent near-miss also highlights the need for ongoing drugs education work with young people.

We cannot spell out clearly enough the message that the best way to stay safe is not to take drugs at all.

And, if you do insist on swallowing what is essentially in this instance an industrial cleaning fluid, then this is what could happen to you - if you survive.

Different game

Historian Jack Alexander and his colleagues at the McCrae's Battalion Trust deserve great credit for their work in celebrating the lives of those men who risked everything during the Great War.

When football is such an all-consuming passion for so many boys, what better way to keep this tragic and heroic part of our history alive for the next generation than re-telling their story?

The role of the Hearts stars who volunteered - and who in some cases made the ultimate sacrifice - is well-known in the Capital, although the part played by some of their Hibs counterparts is often overlooked.

The courage of all these city men - whether footballers, supporters or their comrades with no sporting connection - deserves to be a powerful inspiration for generations to come.