‘Real Talk Is Needed’ After Drug-Related Death At UK Club

After the drug-related death of a 19-year-old on one of Rainbow Venues’ premises in Birmingham, England, the city’s council decided to revoke its license. The club’s operators will appeal. 

http://therainbowvenues.co.uk – Warehouse Birmingham
Rainbow Venues

Because the incident marks the second drug-related death within two years – an 18-year-old died after taking ecstasy at the club in 2015 – the licensing subcommittee of Birmingham city council said it had no choice but to revoke the club’s license.

The latest case took place Oct. 29 at a Halloween event and reportedly involved MDMA, causing the 19-year-old to lose his orientation. He was taken to the hospital where he died the next day.

Rainbow Venues’ operators released a detailed statement, calling for a review of how policy makers approach the problem of drug use in society and announcing their appeal.

“First and foremost, the venue’s thoughts of comfort and condolences are with the grieving family and friends for the tragic young loss of life,” the statement reads.

It goes on to point out the significant impact The Rainbow Venues have had in Birmingham, culturally and economically, reinvesting “every penny that came in” into the city, progressing “from a small Victorian Pub to multiple, multifunctional venues.”

Pointing out the many young people that left Brimingham “for the bright lights of the capital [of London],” it was important that Brimingham remained “a forward thinking interesting city that values recreation arts and culture.

“Closing down venues that offer so much to the city is not going to help us achieve this.”

Addressing the death of a guest, the operators write: “We firmly believe that our team took great care, time and passion to create a safe environment for people to enjoy our events. We had very robust policies that West Midlands Police have accepted are more stringent than any other licensed premises in the country.

“As operator’s we can’t be false. The decision is wrong. We can’t pretend we agree, we can’t promise that drugs will not enter licensed premises; people go to extreme lengths to get drugs into venues, if they succeed over the border, prisons and even parliament, then they will find a way into a club. They are breaking the law. Are we?

“There is a global society issue, this won’t be the last drug related death on licensed premises. We can’t lie. We didn’t lie. This will happen again and again. There needs to be a universal, collaborative approach to the UK’s drug problem. Lets educate and not be so quick to revoke licenses that practice the correct policies.”

The clubs’ operators called the council attitude “prehistoric” and encourage “a sensible approach like Amsterdam, and even other councils and reasonable authorities in the UK, real talk is needed: not masking the problem.”

Incidentally, the public health department of Birmingham city council did not support the licensing committees push for a revocation of Rainbow Venues’ license.

The closure of the Rainbow Venues Warehouse would affect the company’s entire business, since that particular venue subsided many of the company’s other spaces, such as Spotlight, Mama Roux, Cafe Colette, The Arena and Digbeth Dining Club.

 “On this basis we will be appealing,” the statement concludes.

Shows at Rainbow Venues include Danny Brown and The Melvins last year at Warehouse, and more recently Dinosaur Pile-Up, Intervals, Ghostpoet, and The Coronas at Mama Roux this November and October.