KIDS, PARENTS MUST KNOW DANGERS OF RAVES

As CEO of Bay Point Schools, I am dedicated to turning around the
lives of delinquent adolescent boys. I see how drugs can deplete the
lives of today's youth. One of the most effective means of fighting
this is to eliminate access to drugs, along with increasing awareness
about the dangers of drugs used and sold at rave concerts.

That's why I urge our community's support of the proposed
congressional legislation, Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to
Ecstasy Act or The Rave Act (S 2633).

This bill would penalize those who manage, own or rent an
establishment and promote or house an event where Ecstasy and other
illicit drugs will be manufactured, stored, distributed or sold.

Ecstasy is the most popular of the club drugs associated with raves.
Teenagers are duped into believing that Ecstasy doesn't pose a threat.
Thousands of teenagers, however, are treated for overdoses and
Ecstasy-related health problems in emergency rooms each year,
representing a 1,040-percent increase between 1994 and 1999.

Raves are all-night dance parties with loud techno-trance music. Some
promoters portray these events as alcohol-free safe places. Others
market to teens with flyers depicting pictures of Ecstasy pills.

Promoters know that Ecstasy causes body temperature to rise, resulting
in increased thirst. They sell overpriced bottles of water and charge
entrance fees to ''chill rooms.'' The price paid is far greater than
dollars; it is damaged neurons in the brain. The National Institute on
Drug Abuse states that this can lead to brain damage.

Our youth deserve better. We must protect them from exploitation and
stop this ''rave'' craze.

MARY LOUISE COLE
President/CEO,
Bay Point Schools
Princeton