Her parents, Tony and Angela Wood, have spent the long years since her death trying to save the lives of other teens and young adults.

It was with sadness that I read at the weekend that they’ve decided their efforts are having no effect.

“We’ve practically given up trying to talk about it - after so many years, it’s draining and tiring,” Mr Wood told the Sunday Telegraph.

Anna, 15, died after a trip with friends to a nightclub where she took an ecstasy tablet.

Many people in the position of the Wood family would have retreated, trying to live their lives with only memories of their daughter and sister away from the world.

The Woods instead chose to make some good come of their daughter’s death, and began a campaign to let everyone know that ecstasy was a killer.

They lobbied politicians, initiated and contributed to the book, Anna’s Story, and they visited school after school to tell students why they no longer had their beautiful younger daughter.

I have first-hand experience of their campaign because Angela Wood and Anna’s Story author Bronwyn Donaghy addressed my school.

I remember Angela Wood was a powerful speaker and no one made a sound while she told us about her Anna, but I also remember a girl sitting behind me being rude as Ms Donaghy continued the anti-drugs message.

Mr Wood lately told the Telegraph that it was no good going to schools and saying ecstasy was going to kill them because kids don’t get it.

I’ve heard anecdotally of people who have died because of “a bad batch of party drugs” - as if there were also good batches.

Unfortunately it looks like Mr Wood may be right.

In 2007 marijuana-cannabis had been used at least once by one-third of Australians aged 14 years or older, according to the 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey.

The experience of Mr and Mrs Wood shows just how hard it is to fight the use of illicit drugs - to the point that they suggest the fight is over and they - and we - have lost.

I remember another anti-drugs campaigner speaking as a State election candidate in Armidale in 2003.

The man’s child had I think overdosed on drugs and he stood for election with an anti-drugs platform.

After each candidate had given their speech, questions were invited from the floor and no one addressed this candidate despite his conviction and the dire warnings he had for society.

Mr Wood said they had tried to educate young people about the dangers of drugs, but had found the only answer was greater police presence, drug-testing and enforcement of possession laws to scare young people out of drug use.

He was frustrated because the police weren’t doing enough and the politicians were soft in the middle, he told the Telegraph.

If this is going to change, it will need the community to pressure governments with their voting power.

The Wood family can not carry society’s burden.