DEATH SHOWS NEED FOR DRUG SWEEPS

The prospect of Alabama Beverage Control Board officers and police officers
roaming an outdoor concert looking for underage drinkers and drug users may
seem like the ultimate buzz kill. But the need for this kind of operation -
conducted during a three-day Widespread Panic concert at Oak Mountain
Amphitheatre in Pelham - was proven by a grim incident.

Police say a fan, Erica Robins Young, 29, of Chattanooga, Tenn., died of an
apparent overdose Saturday night. Police say the woman collapsed at the
concert after taking Ecstasy purchased for $20.

Several other overdoses were reported. It may be that the more fortunate
people were the ones arrested - about 200 people during the three days.
Police say about half were for felony drug charges, involving substances
ranging from OxyContin to cocaine. Most of the other arrests came for
misdemeanor drug charges or underage drinking.

Stalwart fans of the band are compared to Grateful Dead followers, who
literally follow the band from city to city as it tours. Allegations of
drug use at shows have also followed Widespread Panic and apparently
preceded the band's coming to Pelham. Those allegations prompted the ABC
board's "Operation Don't Panic."

The 200 fans arrested made up only a small percentage of the people who
attended the band's shows. The three concerts sold out to more than 30,000
people.

How many were using drugs and were able to escape the officers' attention
no one knows. Among those who did not escape: a 24-year-old guard at St.
Clair Correctional Facility charged with possession of drug paraphernalia;
an Arkansas man charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession; a University
of Alabama criminal justice major for misdemeanor marijuana possession;
Birmingham-area high school students; and an employee with the U.S.
Department of Energy.

A Kentucky man was charged with drug possession and distribution after
police found him with not only drugs and cash, but a scale in his backpack.
Agents may not have tracked down the drug kingpins in this operation - one
of the ABC board's largest in years -- but they made a substantial effort
to attack drugs in a large social setting, where young people are often
exposed to drugs.

Anyone who questions the need for this kind of operation should look no
further than to Erica Robins Young's death for validation.