DEAD RAVER'S DRUG USAGE UNCLEAR

Allen Ho inquest: security firm head says promoters have tolerated narcotics

There is no way to tell how many Ecstasy pills Allen Ho took prior to his
death, a coroner's inquest heard yesterday.

The question of what precisely the 21-year-old Ryerson student consumed has
attracted a great deal of interest in the weeks leading up to the inquest.
But while the jury was told how much MDMA, or Ecstasy, was in his blood, it
also heard that MDMA content can vary greatly between pills.

"One pill could be equivalent to 10 pills, depending on the source of where
this drug is manufactured," explained Betty Chow, a toxicologist with the
Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto.

Moreover, Ms. Chow told the jury there can be a great deal of individual
susceptibility to the drug. She explained that a search of the limited
literature on it showed people have died with one-third the concentration
of MDMA that Mr. Ho had in his blood and lived with three times that
concentration. "The way MDMA affects an individual is quite variable," she
said.

Mr. Ho died on Oct. 10 last year after attending an all-night party in an
underground parking garage at 501 Alliance Ave. in the city's west end. He
was discovered on the floor of the garage about 3:30 a.m., unresponsive and
having seizures. He died in hospital 15 hours later.

None of the friends he went to the rave with have been willing to come
forward, so police don't have any evidence about what Mr. Ho took. The
toxicologist's report showed there were 0.13 mg of MDMA per 100 ml of Mr.
Ho's blood and that he also had THC (the active ingredient in marijuana
that produces the high) in his system.

The inquest also heard evidence about the key complications of MDMA that
Mr. Ho exhibited, ones that grew progressively worse until his death.

Pathologist Dr. Timothy Feltis said that chain of events involved seizures
and a very high temperature -- over 41C, as compared to a normal
temperature of about 37C -- as well as low blood pressure, and disseminated
intravascular coagulation, which involves damage to the cells lining blood
vessels, so that the clotting system runs amok.

Mr. Ho had extensive bleeding externally, where paramedics had attached an
intravenous line, as well as bleeding in his heart, esophagus and stomach.

Some of the day's most surprising testimony came from Richard Paciorek, a
supervisor with Northwest Protection Services, one of two security firms
hired to work the event Mr. Ho attended.

Under questioning from Paul McDermott, the coroner's counsel, he told the
inquest that his staff normally tolerates drugs at raves and nightclubs to
the extent that a promoter wishes them to. Mr. Paciorek, who has provided
security for many raves, said he usually asks a promoter what their
tolerance for drugs will be at an event.

Depending on the answer, security staff will do anything from flushing
confiscated drugs down a toilet to kicking a patron out or turning people
over to the police.

Mr. McDermott pointed out that drug possession is illegal. He then asked
why security staff did not make citizens' arrests when they found drugs.
Mr. Paciorek replied that they are not hired for that purpose. He noted
he's seen police officers also turn a blind eye to drugs, such as marijuana
at music concerts.

Mr. Paciorek also said that since December -- when the city and the rave
community passed a protocol of standards for raves -- he has found both
promoters and nightclub owners in the city have moved towards a
zero-tolerance drug policy.

However, at city council today, Mel Lastman, the mayor, will introduce a
motion to ban city-sponsored raves.