'CLUB' DRUG WARNING ISSUED

21-Year-Old Suffers Near-Fatal Overdose

Victoria police are cautioning people against using so called "club drugs," following a near-fatal overdose outside a Victoria nightclub early Thursday.

A 21-year-old Vancouver woman who collapsed outside the Sugar Night Club, 858 Yates St., at about 4:30 a.m. was apparently overdosing on ecstasy or GHB, said Insp. John Ducker.

The woman was semi-conscious when police arrived, and while emergency personnel were assessing her condition she lost consciousness and stopped breathing, Ducker said.

"Were it not for the timely intervention of other emergency personnel, the people on the scene felt the woman would have died," he said.

She is now in improving condition in hospital.

The incident follows two fatal ecstasy overdoses in Vancouver at a rave early Sunday morning.

B.C.'s chief coroner, Terry Smith, has warned there may be a batch of deadly ecstasy for sale in Vancouver.

Victoria police don't know yet whether the woman who overdosed Thursday bought her drugs in Vancouver or here, but are warning people that all of these "club drugs" are dangerous.

"The quality of these drugs, that are being put out by people who we don't really know at this time, can be very suspect," Ducker said.

"These drugs are not produced by Johnson and Johnson or Bayer. They can come f rom any source and the potential for extreme physical harm is great."

Sgt. Dan Parker of the major crimes unit said Victoria, as a port city in proximity to Vancouver, has always had a significant drug problem.

"There's a high incidence of GHB use, crystal meth use, ecstasy use. Club drugs are used extensively. It's not the case where we have one or two people using drugs in the clubs downtown. A large percentage of people use these drugs."

Parker said police probably attend two to three overdose calls a week in the downtown, most involving heroin or cocaine.