KEY POINTS:
A "cocktail" of drugs, rather than just party pills, may be the reason a Greymouth man collapsed at a dance rave at the weekend, police say.
Ben Rodden is fighting for his life in the intensive care unit of Christchurch Hospital after collapsing while working as a DJ at the Regent Theatre in Greymouth early on Sunday.
He was shaking uncontrollably, had trouble breathing and his temperature was skyrocketing when his friends flagged down a passing police car and took him to Greymouth Hospital.
The 23-year-old was transferred to Christchurch and placed in an induced coma to keep him still and control bleeding in his liver and kidneys.
A Christchurch Hospital spokeswoman said yesterday that Mr Rodden was still listed as "seriously ill".
Mr Rodden's parents said their son had taken party pills to stay awake during the dance rave and had drunk a small amount of beer. They called for the Government to ban party drugs immediately.
However, Mr Rodden's friends have told police he had taken an illegal class-C drug as well as alcohol and "herbal high" party pills.
A police spokesman said: "Friends accompanying Rodden said he had taken a [class-C] drug during the night and that it wasn't the first time he'd done this.
"He was also an asthmatic. It looks like the herbal highs were just part of the cocktail."
Police were monitoring Mr Rodden's condition and were awaiting results from toxicology tests done at Greymouth Hospital.
If other illegal drugs were found to be involved, they would investigate.
