FOR STUDENTS WHO CAN'T SAY NO

DanceSafe Teaches Realistic Drug Awareness

Electronic music and rave dancing conjure up images of swirling lights,
glowing fog, human pirouettes, glow sticks and yes -- Ecstasy and other
drugs that supposedly enhance the experience.

DanceSafe, a nationwide non-profit organization, educates ravers and
clubgoers on using illegal drugs safely amidst mounting evidence about the
dangers of club drugs.

In conjunction with the Club Frequency, an electronic music club at NYU,
the New York City chapter of DanceSafe held a workshop at the Thompson
Center yesterday evening to educate students, especially those involved in
the dance culture, on drugs and health issues surrounding the club scene.

DanceSafe stands out among anti-drug advocacy groups in its approach to
drug awareness. The group integrated itself into the club community, and
supports harm reduction instead of a just-say-no policy. The group
practices what members refer to as popular education, which involves both
the teacher and the student in drug education.

"We like to let people make their own choices," said Sarah Hill, director
of the group's New York City chapter.

In contrast, the anti-drug media campaign established by the Office of
National Drug Control Policy has recently hailed in a new era of fighting
drugs through media advertisements. One commercial depicts a stoned
teenager who pulls his father's gun out of a drawer and shoots his friend.

While DanceSafe members are aware that drug abstention is the safest way to
avoid the adverse effects of drugs, they also realize that many club-goers
are going to experiment with drugs despite the risks involved. They believe
that the scare tactics practiced by many anti-drug organizations do not
have the intended effect on drug users.

"D.A.R.E. says 'just say no,' and where we pick up is -- what if someone
says 'yes?'" said Sam Carter, a 20-year-old NYU student and events
coordinator for DanceSafe. "There is a lack of decent, reliable information
on drugs out there."

According to DanceSafe literature, "Once [students] discover, as they are
bound to, that marijuana is hardly addictive, and that overdosing on
Ecstasy is extraordinarily rare, they may think that similar claims about
the risks of heroin are also lies. Truthful drug education is much more
effective in reducing the use and abuse of drugs among teens than scare
tactics."

A team of scientists at Johns Hopkins University's School of Medicine
recently found that primates injected with frequent doses of MDMA
comparable to those taken by Ecstasy users showed signs of long-term brain
damage associated with the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine.
However, Carter said no deaths have been attributed solely to Ecstasy. The
deaths correlated with MDMA, Carter said, are actually for other reasons
including impurities and heat stroke.

The street version of MDMA can include dangerous additives that cause
adverse side effects. These fillers include drugs such as PMA, a powerful
stimulant, speed and cocaine, according to DanceSafe literature. At clubs
nationwide, DanceSafe tests for these impurities in Ecstasy pills and warns
club-goers about the dangers of heat stroke from dancing and sweating all
night while taking Ecstasy.

The on-site pill testing involves taking a scraping of powder from the pill
that is then mixed with a testing agent. DanceSafe members said the testing
is legal even though possession of Ecstasy is not because they return the
pill to users before the results are determined. By providing these
services, DanceSafe wants to reduce the harm produced by tainted drugs. The
organization also sells test kits which allow students to provide their own
pill screening.

What if the test reveals potentially deadly impurities? Everitt Hutton, an
NYU student and DanceSafe member, said pills test positive for other
substances all the time and many students or other club-goers opt to take
them anyway.

However, even if the test reveals no impurities, DanceSafe members warned
that the pill is not necessarily safe or pure because the test is not
sensitive enough to pick up trace substances.

At the workshop, Hutton demonstrated the test using an over-the-counter
headache pill. The test involves three liquid reagents which turn different
colors depending on the makeup of the pill. As expected, the test indicated
that Ecstasy was not present in the headache medicine.

Other services provided by DanceSafe include the distribution of free
condoms, ear plugs, gum and candy -- Ecstasy users say the drug makes them
grind their teeth -- and literature on club-associated drugs.

Although Ecstasy is the most common drug used in dance clubs, according to
a 2002 report by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the drug can be
found in many different social settings including high schools and college
campuses.

"I have a feeling that just as many NYU students partake in so-called 'club
drugs' that are not part of the rave culture," said Hill. MDMA was used in
the early 1980s as a treatment for depression by psychologists. In 1985,
after it became popular in the club culture, the DEA made Ecstasy illegal,
listing it as a Schedule I drug along with heroin and LSD. Schedule I is
the federal government's most restrictive drug category, indicating that
the drug is hazardous to human health with no recognized medical use.

DanceSafe members are passionate about helping students and other young
adults make healthy decisions about drug use. They believe their group is
making an impact in New York City, as indicated by the warm welcome they
get from people attending raves and other dance events.

"People come up to us and say 'Wow, it's great to have you here,'" Hutton said.

Although the members feel they are making an impact, Hill said that they
are having some trouble getting into raves and clubs because of current
legislation: the Reducing American's Vulnerability to Ecstasy (RAVE) Act.
Promoters of events fear any legal implications from allowing DanceSafe
into their establishment, she said. But the group will continue to help
students and other ravers "make safer decisions" when they choose to take drugs.