STUDENTS CALL FOR STEPS TO CURB `DANCECLUB DRUGS' HARM

Student union leaders have called on dance clubs to take steps to deal with
the growing use of drugs such as ecstasy, acid and cocaine on ``nights on
the town''.

There is a need for ``harm reduction'' policies because of the increasing
popularity of the so-called class A club drugs among young people,
according to the Union of Students in Ireland.

USI leaders say that club owners should introduce a number of measures to
make their premises safer for patrons, including:

* Increased availability of free drinking water,

* The provision of `chill out' rooms, and

* Prompt reaction to emergency situations.

The call came as USI leaders met with the National Drugs Strategy Review
Team and the Minister in charge of the strategy, Eoin Ryan.

According to a USI drugs survey in 1998, 80pc of students had taken an
illegal drug and of these 21pc had chosen ecstasy, acid or cocaine as their
first drug.

``This means that up to 30,000 students are choosing to take class A club
drugs as their introduction to illegal drugs,'' declared USI president
Julian de Spainn.

USI welfare officer Alison Gibney said the figures in relation to club
drugs were a particular cause of concern with 86pc of students considering
ecstasy to be part of the clubbing scene, while 62pc felt the dance
policies of clubs to be ``not safe enough''.

Ms Gibney said the call for action by dance clubs could not be regarded as
an encouragement to clubbers to use drugs, rather a harm reduction policy.

``These are standard procedures. We would hope that students, through
information and education, would reject drugs,'' added the USI welfare officer.

``But if we fail to reach them, this is the best we can do.''

USI also hoped students who used club drugs did not drink alcohol as this
made the effects worse.

And it is calling on Mr Ryan to include students as a specific target group
within the national drugs strategy.

``There is a lack of Government-sponsored drugs information material aimed
specifically at this group,'' declared Mr de Spainn.

Ms Gibney said anti-drugs campaigns had been targeted at primary and
second-level pupils and parents, but not at third-level students.

USI says the materials currently available are of little use, with a
specific design and format required to get the message across to
third-level students.

The students union also wants research into the use and misuse of drugs by
students with particular focus on the reason why they take drugs.