HIGH ON MORE THAN MUSIC

LONDON, Ont. -- The 'rave' scene is bringing a new wave of drugs into
mainstream youth culture

It's midnight and an electrical storm rocks the sky above
London.

But in here, in this dark, crowded nightclub, there is thunder of
another sort. Lightening-like strobe lights pulse to the rhythm of a
driving bass, blasted from floor-mounted speakers.

A record-spinning disc jockey fills the cavern-like club with house
music -- a repetitive, almost hypnotic blend of synthesized
electronica. Splays of daisy-patterned lights chase each other on the
dance floor.

In one corner, a young man wearing baggy pants, a white golf shirt and
a Gilligan-style fishing hat shakes two phosphorus neon sticks and
carries them out onto the dance floor.

Another male, also wearing a fishing hat, is dancing by himself in a
grey cloud of fog-machine smoke. He punches the air to the beat of
the music; his hips swivel; his body rocks back and forth.

This is another world.

Welcome to a nightclub "house night," the commercial incarnation of a
rave. Each week, a small but devout following of ravers and
house-music enthusiasts, most in their early 20s, dance their way
through the night at one of two London bars.

The rave scene, once an underground phenomenon of all-night (and
sometimes all-day) "techno-music" dance parties held in secret
locations, is alive and well.

It's a scene of endless dancing, disc jockey stars, trance-like music,
hypnotic light effects and for many ravers, drugs.

But today, raves are no longer secret. Most are well publicized in
glossy pamphlets that advertise everything from the types of lasers
featured to the star lineup of disc jockeys. Typically, they're held
in warehouses, nightclubs and at campgrounds in and around Toronto.

Those who attend raves are young. While the majority of ravers are
aged between 20-25, more than 13 per cent of Ontario high school
students surveyed in 1995 by the Addiction Research Foundation said
they had attended a rave at least once in the previous year.

Although rave parties are rarely staged in London, The Base Nightclub
and Ichabods Nite Club, both on Richmond Street, have capitalized on
the growing popularity of the scene by holding regular house music
nights. These clubs, however, limit admission to patrons 19 and older.

And as the rave culture has moved into the nightclub mainstream, so,
too, has the drug culture.

Of course, illicit drug use is neither encouraged nor tolerated at the
bars. But one club manager acknowledges that some clubbers do it anyway.

"We're very aware that (drug use) happens," says Chris Pegg, manager
at the Base, "But I think a lot of people are smart enough to do it
before they come."

Pegg says bouncers regularly sweep the washrooms and are always on the
lookout for suspicious behaviour.

"We watch for certain (body) motions that would indicate taking a pill
or snorting, or something like that. You may not actually see the
substance, but you can certainly tell when someone is looking around
to make sure nobody is looking."

Guy X, who spoke to The Free Press on the condition he not be
identified, is a regular house-club patron and is familiar with
London's rave culture. He attended his first rave party, at the London
Regional Art & Historical Museums, in December, 1992.

"It was packed. There were lasers that shone eight feet over the
crowd. It was an assault on my senses."

The 26-year-old, who regularly uses the drug ecstasy (sometimes called
"E"), says techno music and drug use are intimately connected.

"There is a correlation between E and the music because (the drug)
breaks down your emotional barriers. . . . The music is
intensified.

"If you go into a rave or a (house) club, almost everyone will be on
something different," he says, listing cocaine, ecstasy, crystal meth,
marijuana, GHB and "Special K" as the drugs of choice for ravers.

Because club drugs are easily concealed, most users take them inside
the bars, he says.

"I've known people who go so far as to take a little bit of tobacco
out of the end of their cigarette and replace it with an E tablet."

At the Base, patrons are sometimes caught sneaking drugs in the
washrooms and are immediately ejected, says Pegg, "But it's really not
a huge problem in the bar itself, as far as we can tell."

Still, he admits that club drugs, which come in pills or in liquid
viles, are "almost impossible to find."

London police Det. Chris McCoy agrees. He says most seizures of rave
drugs have occurred as part of crackdowns on more popular narcotics,
such as cocaine and marijuana.

"We're banging down doors and getting ecstasy on lucky
strikes."

Although the proliferation of club drugs is far from being an
epidemic, McCoy says they all can be found in London.

"If you looked at our statistics in the past, we had no seizures of
ecstasy. Now, we have them. So that means it's out there."

But because rave drugs are so new in Canada -- most emerged in the
1990s -- little is known about their use.

GHB and Rohypnol were only last year added to the Controlled Drugs and
Substances Act, while scientific studies on ecstasy, a more
well-established drug, have just recently surfaced.

In 1993, ecstasy was added to the Addiction Research Foundation's
Ontario drug-use survey.

That year, 0.6 per cent of high school students surveyed said they had
used the drug at least once in the previous year. By 1997, ecstasy
use had more than doubled to just more than three per cent.

Meanwhile, GHB and Rohypnol, which are strong sedatives, have garnered
media attention recently as the "date rape drugs."

A London man was charged in June for sexually assaulting a woman
drugged with GHB after a night at a Richmond Row bar.

What can be said with certainty is that all club drugs are potentially
dangerous.

Ecstasy, for example, targets serotonin, the brain-signalling chemical
that regulates the body's response to hunger, fatigue and depression.

A study released in July by the U.S.-based National Institute on Drug
Abuse found permanent damage to serotonin neurons in monkeys that had
been given a four-day dose of ecstasy.

Guy X says he's wary of the potential danger of the drug. After a
year of heavy use, he took a break from ecstasy to clear his head.

"I got sick. My serotonin levels were so low in my brain that I just
didn't want to do anything. I wouldn't get out of bed until five
o'clock in the afternoon."

Although he still takes the drug, he has reduced his intake by half.
But he says he will never abandon the rave scene.

"What draws me to it is the music. I love the music. I can't get
enough of it."

After a short pause, he adds, "It's addictive."

RAVE/CLUB DRUGS

LONDON, Ont. -- Although a 1997 study of the rave scene by the Addiction
Research Foundation showed marijuana to be the drug of choice at raves, a
number of newer club drugs have appeared recently, including GHB, Rohypnol
and "Special K." Below is a partial list:

ECSTASY

In London: First seizure in October 1998; London police say ecstasy is the
most prevalent of the rave drugs.

What: MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is structurally related to
amphetamines and has some hallucinogenic properties. The drug affects the
neurotransmitter serotonin, a brain-signalling chemical that regulates the
body's response to hunger, fatigue and depression.

Street names: E, XTC, Adam, Euphoria, X, MDM, Love Doves, Red Rockets,
Tic Tac, Number 9, Space Biscuits

Street sale: Ecstasy is usually sold in tablet, gelatin capsule or
liquid form and taken in doses of 50 to 200 milligrams; cost is about
$20 to $30 a tablet.

History: MDMA was first developed as an appetite suppressant in 1914. In
the 1970s, the drug was used as a treatment supplement by U.S.
psychotherapists. In the late 1980s, ecstasy gained popularity as a
recreational drug in Europe's burgeoning rave scene.

High: Ecstasy produces a mild intoxication, a heightened sense of
pleasure, euphoria, awareness and an increased sense of sociability.

Side-effects: Dehydration, grinding of the teeth, anxiety attacks,
blurred vision and an increase in sweating, blood pressure and heart
rate

Health risks: A study in July by the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse
found a strong correlation between ecstasy use and permanent damage to
serotonin neurons. As many as 60 deaths have been attributed to MDMA use
in England, though most were caused by dehydration and exhaustion, as
opposed to the toxic properties of the drug itself.

GHB

In London: GHB was added to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act in
1998. The first London seizure was made in December of the same year. In
June, a London man was convicted of a sexual assault that involved the
drug.

What: Gamma-hydroxybutyrate is a colourless, odourless anesthetic with
sedative properties and is considered one of the date-rape drugs.

Street names: Liquid E, Fantasy, Gamma-OH

Street sale: Usually sold as a liquid in 40-millilitre viles for
between $20 and $50

History: Developed in the U.S. as a pre-medication to promote sleep before
surgery, GHB has also been studied as a potential treatment for narcolepsy.

High: Induces feelings of euphoria, sexual arousal and relaxation

Side-effects: Can cause drowsiness, nausea, incoherence and difficulty
focusing

Health risks: When mixed with alcohol, GHB can lead to deep
unconsciousness -- even a coma. The drug has been linked to a number of
sexual assaults, including two in the London area.

ROHYPNOL

In London: First police seizure made in September 1998.

What: A form of the drug flunitrazepam, Rohypnol also is known as a
date-rape drug. Similar to valium, the drug is a potent insomnia
treatment legally available in more than 60 countries, but not in Canada
or the U.S. In some countries, Rohypnol is used as a pre-anesthetic
before surgery.

Street names: Roofies, Rophies, Ropies, Ruffies, Roche, R-2, Mexican
Valium, Rib and Rope

Street sale: Sold as 10 pills in a half pack for about $5 a pill;
available in dosages of 0.5, one and two milligrams

History: Introduced in Europe in the 1970s and manufactured by Swiss-based
pharmaceutical F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Royhypnol has come under fire as
the drug of choice for date-rape. The drug, which was added to the
Controlled Drugs and Substances Act in 1998, is sometimes used by cocaine
users to ease withdrawal from a cocaine or crack binge.

High: A drunk, sleepy feeling, impaired judgment and disinhibition that
peaks after two hours and lasts up to eight.

Side-effects: Decreased blood pressure, dizziness, confusion, upset
stomach and urine retention

Health risks: Withdrawal symptoms include headaches, muscle pain and
confusion. Severe withdrawal can involve hallucinations and convulsions.
Some users have seizured up to a week after using the drug.

SPECIAL K

In London: Though no seizures have been made, London police say the drug
is in the city.

What: Ketamine hydrochloride is an anesthetic commonly used for veterinary
purposes. When used by humans, it blocks normal thinking and causes
physical incapacitation.

Street names: K, Ket, Vitamin K, Baby Food and G-d

Street sale: Sold as white powder, capsules or in a clear liquid form;
street cost unknown

History: Ketamine was introduced in the late 1960s after phencyclidine
(PCP) was disapproved for human use by U.S. drug authorities.

High: Can cause extreme hallucinations and "out-of-body" experiences

Side-effects: Temporary memory loss, numbness, drowsiness, nausea and
a loss of motor control

Health risks: Special K is extremely dangerous when mixed with
respiratory depressants such as alcohol, barbituates and valium. An
overdose of the drug will depress circulatory and respiratory systems,
causing unconsciousness and even death.