A teenager in Northampton has lodged an official complaint with the Home Office after she took an ecstasy tablet for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Kirsty Marsh was offered the tablet by a young, male stranger on a night out. Taken in by the general air of seediness and danger that she recognised from every official anti-drug video she’d seen, Kirsty accepted the drug in good faith. What followed appalled Kirsty beyond belief:

“All I wanted was to fit in with my peers,” she told us. “I wanted a paranoid night of misery on a terrifying drug which left me defenceless. Maybe get up to something I’d regret, or get abandoned by my heartless teenage friends. Instead, I had the night of my life. It’s a disgrace!

“I danced for hours, really enjoying the whole thing. John, the guy who gave me the pill, he was great: we’re going the pictures tomorrow. My friends stayed with me the entire night and we all went home in a good mood. Nothing bad happened at all.

“I didn’t even feel that down when it wore off. I just slept in and woke up a little muzzy. There were no negative consequences whatsoever. It was totally against what being illegal is all about. Only bad things should be illegal. That’s the whole point. They should be ashamed of themselves at the Home Office, bigging ecstasy up like that. I was really, really disappointed. My parents even said they noticed a positive change in my behaviour. How can I look my friends in the eye when my parents aren’t worried about what I’m getting up to?”

Kirsty is keen to warn other teenagers of the dangers of taking ecstasy:

“I would tell them not to do it. Being young is all about being miserable and indulging in risky behaviour. Don’t mess up the best years of your life by having a fucking great time, it’s just not worth it.”