DATE RAPE DRUGS SEEN AS THREAT

Ecstasy and date rape drugs are the two to be on the lookout for in
Penticton as summer approaches, says one expert.

Anecdotal information from students shows that ecstasy, also known as
MDMA, is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, but with a much darker
edge, says Danny Highley, substance abuse prevention co-ordinator at
Princess Margaret secondary school.

"The issue around here is typically that most of the ecstasy is cut
with other stuff and typically I think it is cut with crystal meth,"
he said.

The Web site of a U.S. company that offers anonymous analysis of
ecstasy pills shows that very few pills tested recently are pure MDMA.
Many are cut with other substances, the most of alarming of which are
methamphetamines. Crystal meth, cocaine and ecstasy are also being
found together more frequently, he said.

The addition of crystal meth makes the pills cheaper to produce, but
also gives the high produced by the pills more of an edge, makes the
depression that follows the highs worse and makes the pills more
addictive, said Highley.

The recent discovery of a litre of the date rape drug gamma hydroxy
butyrate (GHB) in Kelowna should be a warning for young people in
Penticton, especially women, said Highley.

"There's always what we call a grey figure attached to the actual
figure," he said. "When you hear about them finding a litre, you can
just imagine what they don't find."

Drinking in public, especially binge drinking, is often hazardous for
young people but creates extra risks for young women. Alcohol
intensifies the effect of GHB, causing it to act like a powerful
muscle relaxant that can leave people physically and mentally open to
suggestion, said Highley.

"It just lowers their defences," he said.

There is a growing awareness that friends need to watch each other's
drinks in bar and dance clubs, but women are just as vulnerable at
house and beach parties, he said.

Besides watching each others' drinks, women should investigate when
they find a friend who seems more drunk than she should be, he said.
If something seems suspicious, they should take her home themselves
and not send her home in a cab or with a guy, he said.

While the use of the date rape drug is likely a growing issue, getting
numbers is difficult, he said. Most experts agree that incidents are
underreported, in part because of shame or embarrassment and in part
because the drug and alcohol use leads to memory suppression.

"With the summer coming up ... you know how Penticton adopts a party
atmosphere for all ages," he said. "But underneath all that is this
underlying issue that makes young women vulnerable."