ECSTASY BUSTS BRINGS WARNING OF NEW RISKS

Richmond RCMP arrested five people for trafficking the drug Ecstasy at
a rave party at the Riverside Banquet Hall on Friday night.

That's not an uncommon occurrence given the popularity of the drug.
But what was a surprise was the lack of any additional drugs which are
now becoming popular in combination with Ecstasy, a situation health
care and law enforcement officials are calling a disturbing and
dangerous new trend as rave-goers seek to enhance and maintain a high.

Mixing the drugs is designed to help cushion the crash when the
effects of Ecstasy wear off, said Cpl. Scott Rintoul, drug awareness
co-ordinator with the RCMP.

"It's simple, users don't like the effects of a crash," he explained.
"And now they are discovering that maybe Ecstasy isn't all it's built
up to, and that prompts them to use other drugs in combination to
combat the crash they experience."

While the long-term affects of using Ecstasy are largely unknown,
combining it with other drugs can be habit-forming.

"When they mix the drugs, they can run the risk of becoming dependent
on that additional substance if they are not satisfied with the
affects of the Ecstasy," Rintoul said.

Plus, one of the major risks of ingesting drugs of any kind at an
event such as a rave is the true pedigree of the substance, explained
Dr. Mark McLean, associate medical health officer with the
Vancouver-Richmond Health Board.

"A lot of the times, people are getting something other than Ecstasy,
mainly because they are first-time users and don't really know what to
expect."

Many times, simple decongestants such as the over-the-counter drug
ephedrine, are passed off as ecstasy.

"Ephedrine is a stimulant whose side effects include an increased
heart rate."

With adulterated drugs being sold, the possibility that more harmful
substances could also be passed off as ecstasy.

One of the drugs currently being included as an ecstasy "additive" is
Viagra. "So far, we have yet to see Viagra and Ecstasy combinations
show up in B.C. I know there's been some reports of it being used back
east, but so far we haven't seen it here. And I've been covering the
drug scene at raves for the past two years," Rintoul said.

"Specifically why they are using Viagra, I don't know. Generally, they
could be using it as a stimulant of sorts, I guess."

Viagra is now commonly used to correct conditions of erectile
dysfunction.

"I think there's no doubt that these kids are endangering themselves.
This combined use of drugs is a dangerous trend."

Although he was not there for the bust on Friday night, Rintoul said
the arrests only turned up relatively small amounts of the drug.

"This wasn't like we busted a big time dealer with 200 or 300 tablets.
These were street-level dealers with about 20 or so tablets."