Pubdate: Thu, 05 Dec 2002
Source: Washington Square News (NY Edu)
Copyright: 2002, Washington Square News
Contact:  http://www.nyunews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1621
Note:  also listed as a contact
Author: Jeanna R. Bryner
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?158 (Club Drugs)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raves.htm (Raves)

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.
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