OFFICER OPENS EYES TO THE EFFECTS OF DESIGNER DRUGS

Rave scene: Parents, teens learn about Ecstasy and GHB

When it comes to the rave party scene and its accompanying drug use, what
you don't know can hurt you, a Florida police officer said Monday.

Innocent items such as bags of candy, plastic water bottles and chewing gum
can serve as delivery systems for Ecstasy, GHB and other dangerous drugs,
Detective Mark Middleton of the Martin County Sheriff's Office told 35
people gathered at the Morris High School gym.

The rave phenomenon of all-night dance parties backed by a pounding techno
music beat is spreading faster than information about the side effects of
the alphabet soup of drugs dancers take to boost their energy, Middleton
said.

The rave fad started in England, but made its way to Europe, Australia and
finally the United States. Raves are generally held in large vacant
buildings; other locations can be just as conducive.

On Sunday, a 20-year-old Ohio man died after ingesting Ecstasy and an animal
tranquilizer at a rave-like party at a convention center in Rosemont,
according to THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.

James Roberts III died Sunday morning at Christ Hospital and Medical Center
in Oak Lawn, where he was transported after going into cardiac arrest at his
Burbank hotel.

Roberts had attended a rave at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in
Rosemont on Saturday night, where he ingested four hits of Ecstasy and also
took the animal tranquilizer Ketamine, or Special K, Burbank police said.
Roberts' friends called 911 after he began shaking and hallucinating at the
hotel.

Effects of drugs

Towns set in rural areas, such as Morris, are not immune, Middleton said.
"All that farmland out there; it's the perfect place for a rave. All you
need is a couple of tents. If it's not here, great! But I guarantee you it's
not far away."

Raves themselves are not illegal, but the drugs that circulate among the
dancers are - and with good reason, he added.

Ecstasy, the best known of the designer drugs, is a hallucinogenic
stimulant. While it's not considered addictive, users can develop a
psychological dependence on the drug, which floods the brain with the
"feel-good" chemical seratonin. When the effects wear off, the user
experiences a depression users call "Black Monday" until the body can
replenish its seratonin supply.

Heavy Ecstasy use can also cause high blood pressure, muscle breakdown and
liver damage.

PMA, with the most lethal potential of the club drugs, can cause a fatal
rise in body temperature that damages internal organs. Middleton said two
Orlando PMA victims flopped around the dance floor like fish out of water
before they succumbed. In Illinois, the drug has also been implicated in the
deaths of teens in Lisle, Naperville and McHenry, he said.

Besides its unfortunate physical effects, which include intoxication, lack
of muscle coordination and amnesia, GHB poses another danger primarily to
women. Like rohypnol, the other "date rape drug," GHB can be easily slipped
into the drink of a victim who could suffer a sexual assault without ever
knowing it.

While drugs such as Ecstasy and GHB can be cooked up at home by someone with
a basic knowledge of chemistry, other drugs passed around at rave parties
have legitimate uses. Ketamine is a widely used animal tranquilizer, and
nitrous oxide is used by dentists for pain relief.

Another popular rave drug is LSD, making a comeback from the '60s.

Concealing drugs

These drugs are transported and enhanced with an assortment of commonly used
products, Middleton said. Ecstasy tablets are concealed in packages of round
multicolored candies or tucked into partially hollowed-out cigarettes. GHB,
a colorless liquid, is toted around in plastic water bottles and small vials
of eyedrops. LSD hits can be added to chewing gum wrappers.

The menthol rub generations of mothers used to ease congested chests has
been pressed into service to amplify an Ecstasy high, and ravers chew on
baby pacifiers to control the clenched jaw that results from using the drug.

Parental awareness

Parental alertness is crucial, Middleton said, noting a recent survey that
indicated the average parent spends 12 minutes a day in conversation with
his or her child. "There are things happening," he said. "Just pay
attention."

Deputy Jeffrey Cole, DARE instructor for the Grundy County sheriff's police,
agreed parenting is key.

"Be their parents," Cole said. "Don't be their best friend or their best
buddy."

Middleton's presentation was an eye-opener for parents Karen Carlson and
Debbie Sharp of Morris.

"We'd all like to believe it's not going on here," Carlson said.

But it held no surprises for Sharp's daughter, Katie, a junior at Morris
High School. "I already knew everything," she said.