CLUB DRUG SCENE WORRIES STATE

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Wisconsin law enforcement and health officials are having
a hard time keeping up with the growing trend of club drugs and the rave
scene in the state, officials said.

Officials especially noted an increased use of the drug Ecstasy among
youths from affluent suburbs, and more of those youths are ending up in
emergency rooms after overdosing on the drug.

" It' s here, and it' s big time, " said Kathy Sorenson, program director
of Project HUGS in Madison. The group works with families of children who
have substance abuse problems.

More than 100 social workers, health care professionals, school officials
and law enforcement officials met last week at a Waukesha Memorial Hospital
conference to learn more about Wisconsin' s rave subculture and club drug
scene.

Networking among schools, police, parents and medical professionals is the
best way to stay aware of the changing drug scene, said Madison police
Detective George Chavez.

The all-night dance parties known as raves are often associated with heavy
use of club drugs and are becoming more popular throughout the state, not
just in Madison and Milwaukee, Chavez said.

Ravers are traveling from places like Atlanta and San Francisco to attend
Madison raves, and the Internet can provide information about the rave
phenomenon to parents and police, said Chavez, a member of the Dane County
Narcotics and Gang Task Force.

Tickets to raves can run from $25 to $75, and hits of Ecstasy can cost $20
to $25 each. The drug is sometimes called the " hug drug" because it
enhances sensitivity to touch, Chavez said.

Doctors say ravers are increasingly mixing several drugs to get maximum,
prolonged highs, and the combinations make it more difficult for emergency
room personnel to quickly treat overdose victims.

" It' s backyard chemistry, " said Michael J. Foley, a physician with
Madison' s St. Mary' s Medical Center. " And the result can be death."