CORONER ISSUES WARNING AS ECSTASY DRUG DEATHS RISE

TORONTO -- Going to a rave can lead to your grave, Ontario coroner Jim
Cairns warns.

Cairns said the designer drug ecstasy, a favourite of rave-goers, has been
linked to eight deaths this year after being tied to just one in 1998.

"There are deaths," Cairns says.

"If we go from no deaths in 1997 to eight deaths this year, it is showing a
new trend. Rave parties are becoming the item."

Three of the ecstasy-linked deaths this year were in the Greater Toronto
Area and the other five were spread across the province.

Cairns said the dangers are so real, he plans to conduct an ecstasy inquest
to help raise public awareness of the problem. He is reviewing the eight
death cases to identify the best candidate.

"I have asked to pull all the files to review the circumstances. We will
take the best scenario case of this and do a representative inquest with
regards to the drug ecstasy," he said.

"We want to present it publicly. We will announce it in the new year. The
inquest will probably be two months after that."

Ecstasy didn't even turn up in forensic examinations until 1997, Cairns said.

"In 1997, the centre of forensic sciences analyzed one case (with ecstasy)
but the person did not die. In 1998, the drug ecstasy appeared at the
centre twice. One was in a death and the other was in a live situation."

"This year, it has appeared on 10 occasions, eight of them are deceased and
two of them are live cases. In three of the deceased so far, that is
definitely the cause of death," he said.

Cairns credited Liberal deputy Liberal leader Sandra Pupatello for starting
the process. She raised an alarm over the issue during legislature debate.
"The truth is that a drug like ecstasy is available very easily," she said.
"It has a very uninhibiting reaction, so it makes people very, very
wonderful. The affect of an ecstasy pill is at least six hours."

Parents and party goers alike are lulled into a false sense of security
because rave clubs rarely sell booze.

"A lot of these places don't sell alcohol at all. The drug ecstasy is being
sold," Cairns said.