RAVERS NEED FACTS, INQUEST TOLD

Anti-drug Education More Effective Than A Ban, Experts Say

Banning raves won't stop young people from using ecstasy, a Toronto epidemiologist told an inquest into the death of Allen Ho.

"There is an indication that these drugs ( MDMA or ecstasy, GHB and ketamine ) are being used at raves and other sites and venues," Joyce Bernstein, an epidemiologist with the Toronto public health department, said.

The only way to discourage such drug use is through harm reduction education, Bernstein said.

Ho, a Ryerson student, died two weeks short of his 21st birthday after ingesting ecstasy at the A View To A Thrill rave, held Oct.  9.

"Our mandate in public health is prevention," Bernstein told the inquest.  But "a 'say no to drugs' approach has not proven effective."

David Collins, who works with drug users out of All Saints Community Church at Dundas and Sherbourne Sts., said shutting down raves would send them underground to unsafe venues - and shut down "the only public .  .  .  access to this community."

"There are a lot of people in Toronto using ecstasy, and they're not going to raves," Collins added.  "There is no way it is isolated to the rave scene."

Bernstein and Collins said the publicly funded harm reduction program offered by the Toronto Ravers Info Project offered a solution by providing information to young people at raves.

Co-ordinator Sandy Watters, 22, said her group offered information at six to seven raves a month, "a fraction of the raves that occur." Her group is not funded or staffed well enough to serve the 40,000 to 50,000 people in the rave community, she said.  Still, "people are getting the message."

The group had been asked to attend the rave where Ho collapsed, but was unable to do so.

A study of drug use by Ontario students in grades 7, 9, 11 and 13, conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, showed that ecstasy use is increasing among teens.

Ecstasy use increased from 1.8 per cent of students in 1995 to 3.1 per cent in 1997 and 4.4 per cent by 1999.

Last year, 62 young people were admitted on weekends to the emergency department at St.  Michael's Hospital for complications related to designer drugs such as ecstasy, GHB, ketamine or methamphetamine, according to a study done by a second-year medical student, Bernstein reported.

But more education on designer drug complications could be provided to school and public health officials, she said, if hospital emergency department files of drug-related admissions were available on computer.

Also yesterday, a private member's bill that would give municipalities the power to set rules for raves was unexpectedly approved in principle by the Ontario Legislature.

While private member's bills rarely become law, the Raves Act 2000 passed second reading in a close vote, despite opposition objections.

If passed, the act would create two types of offences: one aimed at rave promoters, organizers or property owners who violate the rules; the other at party-goers who refuse to leave if asked to do so by police.