Anna Wood, a Sydney, Australia schoolgirl, died at the age of 15 on October 24, 1995 after taking half of an ecstasy tablet at a dance party the previous night. The direct cause of death was a cerebral oedema, caused by water intoxication and resultant hyponatremia. Her death, widely reported in the media, sparked off a moral panic regarding drugs and their perceived role in rave and dance party culture. The event had political implications on drug policy, particularly in her home state of New South Wales. Media coverage frequently played on her appearance as an average, middle-class, fresh-faced "good" girl to convey the message that similar tragedies could befall any youngster in Middle Australia. Her death is also notable in that it preceded by mere weeks that of the better-known British teenager Leah Betts, the circumstances and resultant media coverage of which were eerily similar.

Wood's death was the subject of Anna's Story, a drug education book published in 1996.

See also

• Rachel Whitear
• Leah Betts

References

• A coroner's report on Anna Wood's death
• http://www.cia.com.au/peril/youth/homan1.pdf
• Anna's Story, the book about the incident

Australian children | 1995 deaths | Drug-related deaths