Pubdate: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 Source: Central Peace Signal, The (CN AB) Copyright: 2006 Central Peace Signal Contact: http://www.centralpeacesignal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2916 CHEMICAL DRUGS THE LATEST TREND Society is starting to become more dependent now on stimulant drugs. The availability of such drugs is common, although it is starting to take on a new scene. The raves and after hour clubs are not the only place to find certain drugs such as ecstasy. In fact, this kind of drug, along with 'Ketamine', 'GHB' and 'Meth' are the new trend that are not exclusive to the club scene any more. "It's a misnomer that you'll only find these drugs at the after hour clubs and raves," said Ian Sanderson, the Drug Awareness Coordinator for the RCMP. "In fact, the whole culture of raves is on the decline." Sanderson noted that the younger crowd that attends these after hour clubs and raves don't use the drugs as much as they are there for the socialization. He estimates that about 65% don't use the drugs, but that doesn't mean that club raves are a safe place for your kids because the drug use is definitely there. "If your child's resiliency is low, there's the potential and possibility that they will be exposed to something that you don't want them exposed to," noted Sanderson. As for the adults that attend these raves, Sanderson commented that they are there for the drug use. He said you would be looking at 95% drug use among adults. "That's what the whole thing is about," he said. "At the organized ones, they are hiring paramedics on contract to stand by at these things to deal with the overdoses as they happen." Sanderson credits the popularity of chemical drugs to the aura about them, noting they are a sexy and cool drug and is thought to be a very clean drug, so it is actually ok to be doing them. They come with designer logos on the tablets, they can be swallowed and you don't need a needle to ingest them or have to smoke it. But a recent study in Vancouver found that about 22% of street level ecstasy contains ketamine, which was originally designed as an anaesthetic. Combining ecstasy and ketamine together produces some strange results. Ecstasy creates a feeling of well-being, energy and confidence; ketamine results in a loss of sense of time and identity and intensely distorted vision. Quite the contradiction noted Sanderson. "And just last year, up to about 60% of street level ecstasy was methamphetamine. The reason for that is it's very easy to produce and very cheap so that increases the profit margin when selling ecstasy." Coming out of all of this is what is called 'Trail Mix' where upwards of five to six different compounds are mixed into one tablet which is being sold as ecstasy. "Caffeine, codeine, ketamine, GHB, meth, viagra - -- just about anything is mixed into them. And when they overdose, paramedics have no idea what they took and that causes more problems into trying to revive them," said Sanderson. The battle against these chemical drugs is a hard one to fight because it is not dependent on an outside source. Drugs such as cocaine and heroin are dependent on an off-shore country to provide the drug. However, with chemical drugs, they can be manufactured right here in kitchens and basements. "That creates a whole new problem as these things start to get into the home based labs and that causes a tremendous amount of contamination and as a result, a lot of toxic waste. That adds to the impact of drug activity. It can cause a very significant addiction and has the capability to seriously impact the health of users," stated Sanderson. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek