RAVERS NEED FACTS, INQUEST TOLD

Anti-drug Education More Effective Than A Ban, Experts Say

Banning raves won't stop young people from using ecstasy, a Toronto
epidemiologist told an inquest into the death of Allen Ho.

"There is an indication that these drugs (MDMA or ecstasy, GHB and
ketamine) are being used at raves and other sites and venues," Joyce
Bernstein, an epidemiologist with the Toronto public health
department, said.

The only way to discourage such drug use is through harm reduction
education, Bernstein said.

Ho, a Ryerson student, died two weeks short of his 21st birthday after
ingesting ecstasy at the A View To A Thrill rave, held Oct. 9.

"Our mandate in public health is prevention," Bernstein told the
inquest. But "a 'say no to drugs' approach has not proven effective."

David Collins, who works with drug users out of All Saints Community
Church at Dundas and Sherbourne Sts., said shutting down raves would
send them underground to unsafe venues - and shut down "the only
public . . . access to this community."

"There are a lot of people in Toronto using ecstasy, and they're not
going to raves," Collins added. "There is no way it is isolated to the
rave scene."

Bernstein and Collins said the publicly funded harm reduction program
offered by the Toronto Ravers Info Project offered a solution by
providing information to young people at raves.

Co-ordinator Sandy Watters, 22, said her group offered information at
six to seven raves a month, "a fraction of the raves that occur." Her
group is not funded or staffed well enough to serve the 40,000 to
50,000 people in the rave community, she said. Still, "people are
getting the message."

The group had been asked to attend the rave where Ho collapsed, but
was unable to do so.

A study of drug use by Ontario students in grades 7, 9, 11 and 13,
conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, showed that
ecstasy use is increasing among teens.

Ecstasy use increased from 1.8 per cent of students in 1995 to 3.1 per
cent in 1997 and 4.4 per cent by 1999.

Last year, 62 young people were admitted on weekends to the emergency
department at St. Michael's Hospital for complications related to
designer drugs such as ecstasy, GHB, ketamine or methamphetamine,
according to a study done by a second-year medical student, Bernstein
reported.

But more education on designer drug complications could be provided to
school and public health officials, she said, if hospital emergency
department files of drug-related admissions were available on computer.

Also yesterday, a private member's bill that would give municipalities
the power to set rules for raves was unexpectedly approved in
principle by the Ontario Legislature.

While private member's bills rarely become law, the Raves Act 2000
passed second reading in a close vote, despite opposition objections.

If passed, the act would create two types of offences: one aimed at
rave promoters, organizers or property owners who violate the rules;
the other at party-goers who refuse to leave if asked to do so by police.