CORONER TO PROBE RAVE DEATH

Student Died After Taking Ecstasy At All-night Party

A coroner's inquest will be held to probe the death of a 21-year-old
student who died after taking the drug Ecstasy at an all-night party in
October.

Allan Ho collapsed on the dance floor at a rave attended by about 3,500
people in an underground garage, and died 15 hours later in hospital. He
had taken the hallucinogenic drug that police say has become the drug of
choice at raves, selling for $20 to $30 a pill.

The inquest, announced yesterday and scheduled to be held in Toronto in
late spring, also will examine broader concerns about raves, such as how
the parties are advertised, licensing requirements, security measures and
emergency resources.

Nine people died in Ontario last year after ingesting the
euphoria-inducing, mind-altering chemical that some medical experts say can
cause brain damage.

"We had nine deaths, the majority of whom are in the range of 20 to 30,
that were associated with this drug in Ontario last year," said Dr. Bonita
Porter, deputy chief coroner for inquests.

"But we had one death in 1998 and none in 1997 and it's this increase that
has caused our alarm."

Porter said the inquest will examine the risks and dangers Ecstasy users
face and the raves where it is being consumed.

"Although these parties are advertised as being alcohol-free, there is a
concern they may not be safe and risk-free for those who attend," Porter said.

"I don't know how many people have been hospitalized, but I have received
calls from hospitals the weekend after some of these parties and the
numbers of people they've had to treat has really put a drain on their
resources."

Friends described Ho as a fun-loving, third-year student at Ryerson
Polytechnic University who loved go to raves and listen to the music of his
favourite rapper, Tupac Shakur, according to a profile in the Ryersonian
student newspaper.

A business information systems student, Ho came to Canada with his family
from China when he was 2 years old. His family, which includes two
brothers, live in Scarborough.

Police say organized crime is involved in the importation and distribution
of Ecstasy.

There is little known about its long-term health effects. Although users
believe the drug is harmless, it is believed to affect the central nervous
system, increasing blood pressure and heart rate and giving users a sense
of euphoria to the point that they feel nothing bad can happen to them.