Pubdate: Wed, 20 Sep 2006
Source: Now, The (Surrey, CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 The Now Newspaper
Contact: http://www.thenownewspaper.com/forms/lettersform.html
Website: http://www.thenownewspaper.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1462
Author: Marisa Babic

ECSTASY-ALCOHOL MIX A NEW THREAT

Police are starting to see a disturbing new trend emerging among 
young drug users at raves who are now mixing a potentially deadly 
combination of ecstasy with alcohol.

RCMP Sgt. Scott Rintoul, a drug awareness coordinator, says the trend 
was first spotted locally this summer at a rave party in Agassiz.

"We probably interacted with well over a 100 people who had taken 
ecstasy and the majority had all been drinking as well, in fact some 
were very drunk and that's a trend you typically never saw before," 
Rintoul said Monday.

Rintoul notes that even the website www.erowid.org, which bills 
itself as a harm reduction website, advises against mixing ecstasy 
with alcohol.

"A lot of the advocates say don't do that - it's dangerous, yet we 
are now seeing a lot of people consuming alcohol and using ecstasy 
which is a really, really dangerous cocktail," he said.

Rintoul notes that alcohol is a depressant which depresses the heart 
rate, something that would place the user at even greater risk should 
he overdose.

"The consequences of that is very real and very disturbing," he said.

A spokesman with Fraser Health said the region's emergency wards 
don't track overdoses based on type of substance abuse.

Of all the substance-abuse cases involving young people who end up in 
the ER, most involve alcohol.

Meanwhile, police are seeing a rise in level of crystal meth mixed 
with ecstasy to meet consumer demand for a quicker high.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Elaine