MAKING RAVES SAFE

The inquest jury probing the drug-induced death of a Toronto man at a rave
has given Toronto Council some smart advice on how to deal with these
all-night dance parties.

The jury didn't suggest banning raves. Far from it.

Jurors wisely recognized that police and city officials can't stop raves
from happening. However, they can, the jury said, take steps to make them
safer - to improve the venues and deter the drug use.

For starters, jurors noted "there is a need for safe venues for raves." They
said city-owned properties should be available for raves, a step which would
require council to reverse its decision to ban them in municipal facilities.

The jury said rave venues should meet local fire and building codes; if not,
the event should be prevented from taking place.

Raves should be licensed and organizers required to follow a proctocol
ensuring the dancers' safety.

The jury suggested restricting entry to those 16 and over.

It also stressed the need for governments to better educate young people
about the risks of ecstasy and other drugs commonly used at raves.

These are just a few of the lessons to be learned from the tragic death of
Allen Ho, 21.

The underground parking lot where Ho went for a rave last October was no
place for a party and certainly no place for a crowd of 3,500. The garage
was poorly ventilated and a "firetrap," as one police officer told the
inquest.

Hopefully, the jury recommendations will cause Toronto Council to rethink
its ban on raves. That hasty decision, made last month, came just five
months after councillors adopted guidelines to control raves in city-owned
buildings.

Unfortunately, the city's action will likely force raves underground, where
they are hard to find, difficult to police and impossible to control.

Drug use was the prime worry of councillors who voted for the ban. But as
one health expert told the inquest, banning raves won't stop young people
from using ecstasy.

Nor, as the inquest made clear, will such a ban stop people from getting
hurt.

Raves are going to happen. Council's role is to ensure these dances occur in
places which are safe and well-policed - including city facilities.