INQUEST: ECSTASY AGONY

Twelve years after her son's drug-related death, it saddens Sandra
Hayward to know young people are still risking their lives in pursuit
of a good time.

The death of Benji Hayward, 14, who drowned in Lake Ontario May 13,
1988, after taking two hits of LSD at a Pink Floyd concert at
Exhibition Stadium, sparked a coroner's inquest and cries for an
all-out war on drugs in the city.

Nearly 12 years to the day of Benji's death, a coroner's inquest opens
Monday into last October's death of Allan Ho, 20, a Ryerson student
who collapsed after taking the drug Ecstasy at a rave party.

While the inquest will examine the circumstances of Ho's death, the
two-week probe will also shine the broader spotlight on all-night rave
parties where drugs are rampant.

"I don't know how far we've come in 12 years," Hayward said. "(Young
people) just take a chance. They just don't realize what the outcome
can be. They always think it's the other guy. I think they feel
they're invincible."

"Parents really have to be ever-vigilant, ever-careful ... Obviously
(Benji) was a risk-taker and he took the ultimate risk," Hayward said.

With a new generation, there are new drugs with the same risks. There
were nine Ecstasy-related deaths in Ontario last year. In 1998, there
was one and none in 1997.

Ontario deputy chief coroner Dr. Jim Cairns said the Ho inquest will
be a dose of reality against false beliefs that Ecstasy -- with "cosy
little names" like Woodpecker and Pinocchio -- is safe and raves
billed as alcohol-free are risk-free.

Ho's death was chosen to spotlight issues surrounding raves because
his was a "pure Ecstasy death" with no other drugs involved and the
event was an unlicensed one, Cairns said.

"(The Hayward inquest) obviously didn't stop drugs. It educated the
public on, 'Do you know where your children are? Don't be so naive,' "
he said. "These so-called love-ins (raves) ... have dangers to them."

Meanwhile, Councillor Olivia Chow says cancelling a planned Halloween
rave at the city-owned Exhibition Place grounds will only drive teens
into the arms of unscrupulous operators.

"The chief and the mayor both agreed we don't want to drive raves
underground," said Chow, a member of the police services board.

"But if we try to ban them, that's exactly what we're going to
do."

Lastman said Ho's death is exactly why he doesn't want anything to do
with the massive dance parties. "I don't want something like that to
happen at a city rave," he said.