Police warn parents of drug use at ‘Rave’ dances

Published 11:59 am Thursday, February 21, 2008

MILL CREEK-Going back to bathtub gin and dancing the Charleston during prohibition, American society has struggled with the youthful combination of music, dance and illegal substances. Marijuana in the folk houses of the ‘60’s, LSD and the appropriately named “acid rock” of the ‘70’s, disco and cocaine in the early ‘80’s. The combo du jour for the new millennium is the techno beat of a “rave” dance and the drug Ecstasy.

Mill Creek police detective Chris White, who also administers the D.A.R.E. program, fears that local parents are unaware of this latest incarnation. To spread the word, she has added a discussion of the rave scene to a D.A.R.E. presentation for parents that initially addressed the problems of drugs, sex, violence and overall bad taste in the media, specifically television, film, and music aimed at the youth market.

“Raves are particularly dangerous because they are presented as harmless,” White said. “The advertisements for them are professionally produced, the events are advertised as ‘all-age’ and often feature the involvement of an organization called ‘Dance Safe’. To most people that would make it appear to be just another dance for kids.”

Dance Safe is an organization that promises to promote safety at club dances. But an examination of its websites, www.dancesafe.org and www.dancesafeseattle.org tells a more complete story. At first glance, Dance Safe appears to be lobbyists for club owners and those making and selling the club drug Ecstasy. At local raves, they sometimes test Ecstasy for pureness and they sell drug test kits via the Internet. They are opposed to various laws that attempt to control the club scene.

According to Dance Safe-Seattle media coordinator Jennifer Keys, there is much more to Dance Safe and there are many misconceptions about the non-profit group.

“We are in the business of keeping people alive. We want to educate people about the dangers that are out there,” she said. “Most Ecstasy is mixed with substances that are harmful. If people are going to take drugs, then we want them to be as safe as possible. We are on the same side as the police.”

Even the way advertising is distributed adds to the appearance of legitimacy. Many of flyers are available at a youth oriented store in the Alderwood Mall, “Hot Topic”. The store itself has no known connection to the raves themselves.

A rave is a dance. The music is played by a DJ and tends to the Euro techno beat sound. There are professional laser light shows. But this is no post-football game mixer at the high school gym.

Raves usually do not get underway until 10 p.m. and run until 6 a.m. The advertisements usually do not list a location, but a website or phone number to call for the information.

Most raves are held in warehouses, particularly in areas like those of the neighborhoods south of Safeco Field in Seattle. For White, that alone is a concern.

“There are thousands of kids in the building and limited exits,” she said. “A fire would mean that not everyone would make it out.”

The biggest concern is focused directly at Ecstasy. Sold in a pill form and referred to in the street vernacular by the mark left by the pill press, they are often called “Nissan”, “Mitsubishi” or something similar. It is a cheap high, often costing less than $10 for a pill that will last all night.

The proponents claim the drug is harmless and just heightens the experience through more sensual awareness. Opponents point to the chemical structure that closely resembles methamphetamine and to a recent study that showed that long-term use of the drug can deplete the ability of the body to produce serotonin and dopamine, leading to a lifetime of chronic depression.

In the short term, those using the drug experience heightened sensory perception, hence the laser light shows and the deafening experience of sitting close to speakers the size of automobiles. Other risks associated with Ecstasy are familiarly associated with many “mind expanding” drugs: flashbacks, paranoia, cardiac and central nervous system problems.

In a concept that sounds like it was conceived in a junior high locker room, male users are combining Ecstasy with Viagra, a cocktail called Sextasy. This experiment has resulted in a number of painful visits to hospitals around the country. Keyes, the Dance Safe spokesperson says that this harmful drug combination came about due to a rarely advertised side effect of Ecstasy: impotence. “Your daughter is safer at a rave then in a bar,” Keys said.

Users of Ecstasy also experience extreme thirst. Many raves are inexpensive to attend, with admission as little as $5. They are non-alcoholic events, but the bar sells teas and bottled water starting at $5 a bottle. That bar is the profit center for the promoter.

With the boost to sensory perception, another popular profit center is an area to receive a massage.

“Sure, people think that after a few hours of dancing, a massage would be nice,” White said. “But for someone on Ecstasy, a massage is the ultimate tactile experience.”

White says that students of all stripes attend the raves.

“Goths, jocks, just average kids,” White said. “There is no one group that does or does not attend.” She does point out that while many local students do attend, it is not rampant and raves have not yet been held in the area.

There does exist a well-defined “rave” culture. The outward paraphernalia are glow in the dark necklaces, pacifiers, candy necklaces and baggy pants. These have become so widely recognized as a part of the scene that the Drug Enforcement Agency attempted to have the glow-in-the-dark items and pacifiers classified as “drug paraphernalia” and banned from a New Orleans rave.

Keys feels that a bill working its way through Congress known as the “RAVE (Reducing American’s Vulnerability to Ecstasy) Bill” is a political move with dangerous consequences.

One element of the legislation has made club owners leery of having Drug Safe activities on their premises. “The bill claims that ‘harm reduction’ activities like ‘chill rooms’ are an element of dangerous behavior and can allow the clubs to be closed,” Keys said.

Ravers are modern. They communicate in the Internet and there are countless websites devoted to raves. Their subculture, as with others through the years, often exists outside the lifestyles of parents and educators.

White has the same advice for parents that has been given for generations.

“Talk to your kids,” she says. “Look closely at the brochures they show you and ask questions. Know where they are and what they are doing.”