ROCK 'N' RIDE NOTORIOUS FOR DRUG USE, COUNSELLOR SAYS

Problem Not Limited To One Mall -- Or To One Drug

Youth parties like the one at West Edmonton Mall where 14-year-old
Cassandra Williams took ecstasy before she died are a prime place for
teens to sell and use drugs, says an AADAC youth counsellor.

Tracy MacDonald, who also runs youth programs at the Alberta Alcohol
and Drug Abuse Commission, said many teens have told her they used
drugs at the Rock 'n' Ride parties held at the mall.

"It's a venue that comes up more frequently than any other," she
said. "Those events tend to bring together a lot of adolescents."

Cracking down on teens carrying small pills in a large crowd would be
difficult for security, MacDonald said.

She does not let the young people in her programs go to Rock 'n' Ride
parties. Easy access to drugs at a low cost with limited supervision
is a bad combination for teens looking to buy their favourite drugs
or simply to experiment for the first time.

The problem is not limited to West Edmonton Mall, or to ecstasy.

"We see so much -- ecstasy is the least of the problem," said Deb
Cautley, executive director of the Youth Emergency Shelter on Whyte
Avenue. "West Edmonton Mall is not the only mall and definitely not
the only place. Any place that attracts a large number of youth is
going to have this problem. Walk into any city school or mall."

Cautley estimates that in any of those places, someone would have to
question a maximum of four teens before finding out where to buy drugs.

Both Cautley and MacDonald have met children as young as 10 who use
drugs, usually alcohol, cigarettes or marijuana. The average age of
MacDonald's clients is 15.

Teen drug use includes marijuana, alcohol, prescription medications,
crack cocaine and methamphetamines. Along with ecstasy, those drugs
have remained consistent among teenage users for years, MacDonald said.

Cautley said some teens simply clean out a medicine cabinet, throw
the drugs into a bowl and take random handfuls.

Ecstasy induces a feeling of euphoria and satisfaction in users. It
can raise blood pressure, induce hyperthermia and increase fluid
retention. Pills come in a variety of strengths and doses.

Cassandra Williams, 14, died Saturday after taking six ecstasy pills
that night during a Rock 'n' Ride event at West Edmonton Mall.

Friends said many teens at the party were on the drug and it is
common knowledge that dealers hang out in front of the Circuit Circus
arcade on the main level.

West Edmonton Mall has not commented on the death, but has offered
condolences to the family. A mall news release states that strict
security measures are taken for the parties, which have hosted more
than 350,000 guests over the past 15 years.

Cautley said a major danger in teen drug use is how naive some users are.

"The kids are naive enough to think ecstasy is harmless," she said.
"The people who are making the money obviously aren't honest. They
tell kids they won't get addicted, that nothing bad will happen to them."

In the majority of cases, teenage drug users are buying the product
from teenage dealers.