NO 'RAVE' REVIEWS FOR DRUG

Son's ecstasy addiction 'breaking' family apart

A Dartmouth woman says her teenaged son's addiction to ecstasy is
destroying his life and ruining her family.

"He's now hooked on these drugs and it's breaking my marriage apart
and I've got nowhere to turn," says Martha, who fears for her son's
safety if her real name is published.

Ecstasy, commonly taken by young people who attend all-night raves,
can be consumed in a pill form or capsule. It is both a stimulant and
a hallucinogen.

Users of the drug, which sells for about $10 to $30 a pop, say it
produces a sense of euphoria and increased sensations.

However, it can also cause death. RCMP across the country have
investigated four ecstasy-related fatalities in the past year.

In a weekend interview, the Dartmouth mother says she needs help to
combat the widespread availability of the drug.

"This is serious. The drugs are in schools, they are
everywhere.

"My son tells me it's like going to the store to buy a pack of
cigarettes."

Her son, a metro high school student, has been using the drug in
recent months and she says she can do nothing to stop him.

Martha says her problems are not unique. She has joined a metro
parents group that numbers about 200. Group members recently wrote
letters to their MLAs asking for help to stop their kids from using
ecstasy.

"It's tearing families apart," she says. "Our hands are tied. We just
don't know where to turn."

Since Martha's son started attending raves, things have gone from bad
to worse.

About four months ago, he was assaulted at a rave at The Playhouse on
Maitland Street.

"He got his face punched in for no reason at all," she
says.

Martha says the culprits are three older teens she suspects are drug
dealers.

But she says kids who are victimized are afraid to speak out because
they don't want to bring on more trouble.

Recently, her son showed up for school high on ecstasy.

"I mean this has always been an excellent child. But we just don't
have any control because he's at an age now where he can just walk out
on you."

She says at least four students at her son's high school have been
suspended for ecstasy use.

A spokesperson for the Halifax regional school board said Sunday that
he couldn't comment on individual cases of suspension.

"But principals take the issue of drug use very seriously because they
have to ensure a safe learning environment for all students," Doug
Hadley said in an interview.

In February, another metro high school invited police to go undercover
to help combat drugs.

The intervention at Dartmouth High School resulted in the suspension
of eight students and their arrests on charges of selling marijuana
and hashish.

Dartmouth High principal Bob Johnston told this newspaper that drug
dealers see students as an easy mark.

"Young people are the most vulnerable and those that would sell drugs
know that. We don't want schools to be places where this kind of
illegal activity and victimization of students can take place."

Martha says she wants her son's high school to act against
drugs.

"I hope these narcs are in every school, not just Dartmouth High," she
says.

In addition to the school problems, Martha says that kids' desire for
ecstasy can turn them into criminals.

And, while she doesn't accuse her son of any wrongdoing, she's heard
of kids doing anything to finance their need for the designer drug.

"I've heard stories about children stealing . . . and you see those
teenage girls attacking older women to get money," she says, referring
to reports of four metro home-invasion robberies in the past month.

Lack of knowledge about the drug and need for direction in how to
handle their children has driven many in Martha's group to be in
constant contact with police.

For their part, Halifax regional police officers recently conducted an
undercover investigation which culminated with a raid at a rave on
Jan. 29.

Officers obtained a search warrant beforehand because they received
information that there would be ecstasy use at the rave.

Police received some negative publicity concerning the way they
handled the searches that night. Martha says the bad press "isn't fair."

"The police are being put down. But the information that (police) are
getting is from parents who are phoning them non-stop," she says.

Police confirm they are getting more calls.

Martha says police efforts shouldn't be criticized. She has no problem
with the fact that officers strip-searched close to 50 kids who were
in attendance.

"The girls can slide (the pills) down their bras and (they) won't be
found in a quick pat-down search," she explains.

The police searches of the Playhouse rave resulted in the seizure of
about 30 unknown pills, two small bags of marijuana and a joint.

However, they also drew complaints from The Canadian Civil Liberties
Association, which demanded an explanation from Police Chief David
McKinnon.

Despite the bad press, Martha says she wishes police could attend more
raves and she even has a tip for them: Show up later.

"They were (at January's Maitland Street rave) too early, before all
the kids got there."