STUDENTS LEARN DANGERS OF 'CLUB DRUGS'

UNLV took part in sponsoring "Dancing with Darkness," a student town hall
meeting held inside the Moyer Student Union ballroom last Monday evening.

The meeting's purpose was to educate students concerning the physical and
psychological impact of "club drugs."

"Club drugs" is a term used for the most pervasive drugs at nightclubs and
"raves." The three primary club drugs frequently used in the club scene are
known as ecstasy, "special K" slang for Ketamine," and GHB.

MDNA, or ecstasy, is in a tablet form, and is often imprinted with designs
or commercial logos. It contains 100 milligrams of MDMA: methamphetamine
mixed with mescaline.

Ecstasy use is found mostly among the "rave" culture because of the
relaxed, euphoric state it produces.

The "high" can last up to five hours. But the euphoric state stops when the
effects of the drug wear off, and the side effects are brought on.

One side effect is jaw muscle tension causing the teeth to chatter. Ecstasy
users often suck on pacifiers to help relieve the tension.

The long-term effects could be memory loss, brain damage and kidney failure.

Side effects can take up to one year to surface, according to youth
Courtney Sweyd.

"Sometimes the ramifications of using happens one year after--then a panic
attack hits," Sweyd said.

In order to control anxiety, mood swings and panic attacks, Sweyd takes up
to three types of anti-depressants in order to function every day.

For Sweyd it wasn't just a phase, it is still an everyday reality for her.

"I will forever be changed, it is the biggest mistake that I ever made in
my life," Sweyd said.

But Sweyd considers herself lucky to be alive, especially after hearing
about Danielle Heird's tragic experience with the drug.

Two years ago Danielle Heird died after taking ecstasy. Danielle swallowed
two pills while at the C2K nightclub, and hours later she died. It was the
first ecstasy-related death in Clark County, according to Telgenhoff.

According to Gary Telgenhoff, Clark County medial examiner, the side
effects include paranoia, hallucinations, irrational behavior,
self-mutilation and even suicide.

Mark Saint, a UNLV psychology student, gave his perspective about the legal
consequences of taking club drugs.

Saint used ecstasy regularly, but also sold it illegally. He got caught
with enough ecstasy to get himself a drug trafficking charge.

He admits that ecstasy was a big part of his life and the only bond between
him and his friends. "After I got popped, I lost it all. Once I got popped
none of them were there," Saint said.

Other drugs that are available in the club and rave circuit are "Predatory
Drugs," a term used to identify drugs like GHB and Ketamine that can be
used to facilitate sexual assault.

GHB (gamma hydroxybutyric acid) known as, "easy lay" or "liquid X" is an
odorless, colorless liquid or a white powder material that is usually mixed
with alcohol.

According to Dr. Donald Riech, director of emergency room services at
Desert Springs Hospital, "GHB is the serious drug that will kill."

GHB became widely used when weight lifters started using the drug to
increase body mass. GHB is fatal when it is combined with alcohol.

Riech said inhibition is lowered and breathing can stop for one to two
hours. "And the next second a person may wake up screaming with tubes
coming out of them everywhere, Riech said.

Ketamine or "K" comes in a clear liquid and white or off-white powder form.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Ketamine is a
tranquilizer most commonly used on animals.

The liquid form of Ketamine can also be consumed in drinks.

Ketamine can cause one to lapse into a coma and it can cause memory loss.
Unlike ecstasy that suppresses the need to sleep, predatory drugs can put a
person in an unconscious state, and vulnerable to becoming a rape victim.

"Your memory gets foggy and you awaken in an unconscious state, naked with
someone standing over you," said Dennis Wichern, a Drug Enforcement Agency
representative.

Predatory drugs take away a person's ability to explain what has occurred,
or identify who did it to them. Therefore, many of the perpetrators are not
brought to justice.

"You've been robbed of a memory, but you have been robbed of the ability to
tell police what happened to you," said Jamie Luieback, with the Rape Abuse
and Incest National Network. "A lot of victims never know the guy because
it was slipped in the drink."

To protect oneself against becoming a victim, Luieback advises students to
go out together, stay together, and watch out for each other.

In addition, Luieback warns students never to drink from open containers
like punch bowls, and most importantly, to know their surroundings.

Many drug intervention programs have become widely available throughout the
valley, and recently a program has been implemented at UNLV and is in the
process of recruiting counselors with drug abuse expertise.

Assistance is available for students who are in need of help, said Larry
Ashley, an addiction specialist at UNLV.

Another intervention facility is WestCare, a drug treatment facility that
helps troubled adolescents lead a healthy, drug-free life.

WestCare Representative Kevin Morss warns adolescents that some
organizations do not help prevent the use of drugs, but rather promote the
use of drugs.

DanceSafe is an example of an organization that promotes drug use.
DanceSafe conveys a misleading message saying--"it promotes health and
safety within the rave and nightclub community."

This organization sets up booths at raves testing the drugs for purity for
a fee. Test kits can also be purchased through their Web site.

According to Morss, DanceSafe has no health background, no sanitary
conditions to decide if the drug is pure or not, and most of all, DanceSafe
gives parents a false sense of security.

Although intervention should not be underestimated, prevention is best.
Rosemary Flores, director of Best Coalition, a program that aids the youth
in drug prevention, believes that no matter how good a person's upbringing,
there will always be peer pressure, and with that comes choices.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Detective Todd Raybuck said, "if
you use drugs you won't have a choice of what the consequences might be."