FIRST-TIME ECSTASY USE PROVED FATAL FOR RAVER

Calgary Teen Was Spending Weekend With Girlfriend,
Pals

Zachary Lamb tried the drug ecstasy for the first time at a West
Edmonton Mall rave hours before his death, his best friend said Wednesday.

The 19-year-old Calgarian drove to Edmonton for Thanksgiving weekend
with his girlfriend and a couple of friends, including his best friend
Danny Yanko, to attend the all-night Frost dance party at the Edmonton
Event Centre on Oct. 11.

"This was his first time going to an event like this, an all-night
one," said Yanko, who goes to similar shows regularly.

They paid someone at the party$40 for what Yanko said was pure
ecstasy, five clear capsules filled with the white powder MDMA.

They bought the drug on the dance floor, amid thumping music, flashing
lights and hundreds of shifting bodies.

Lamb initially took one capsule, then a second a little later, as the
friends watched the light show from the venue's balcony area.

"He was smiling ear to ear. He was bouncing to the beat of the music,"
said Yanko, who said he took one capsule and felt fine.

But as the night wore on, Lamb started to sweat and
shake.

At about 4 a.m., Yanko led Lamb toward the washroom to get some water.
On the way they met two security guards. They took one look at Lamb
and said he had to leave.

"The bouncer grabbed him, he stepped back and that was when the
situation escalated," Yanko said.

Two paramedics who were monitoring the event met with security on the
top level of the club. Soon, police and more paramedics arrived. "Four
people were pinning Zac to the ground by his arms and legs, telling
him to calm down," Yanko said. This seemed to agitate his friend further.

They administered saline to hydrate him and after what felt to Yanko
like half-an-hour, the paramedics walked them down the stairs and out
to the ambulance. "I don't think they should have let him walk out by
himself," Yanko said.

Lamb was driven to the Royal Alexandra Hospital with his girlfriend,
while Yanko and another friend took a cab to the hospital.

They met a doctor who told them Lamb's heart wasn't beating
properly.

He died soon afterward.

"He was a really healthy guy. He used to be kind of the jock in high
school, not so much the cocky kid. But he was always playing sports,"
said Yanko.

Lamb worked as a senior server at the Dalhousie Earls in
Calgary.

"Zac's been my best friend since Grade 1," Yanko said. "He was really
selfless, he was kind of a goof."

When Yanko got a job at Earls, he said Lamb helped instil a work ethic
in him that had been absent since high school.

While some people might blame the organizers or security for allowing
ecstasy to slip past the front door, it's practically impossible to
control, Yanko said.

"You'll never be able to get rid of that. Drugs are small," he said.
"I've used the drug more than a couple times, but I'll never touch it
again."