Fantasy's fatal flaw Relevancy: 100; ( The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Australia) ) Simon Lomax, Liam Walsh, Joel Dullroy; 04-19-2002 Size: 8K Reading Level: 9.
With sniffer dogs set to check dance club patrons for illicit substances, staff writers Simon Lomax, Liam Walsh and Joel Dullroy find that the popular designer drug fantasy is a growing menace to young lives.' It's tasteless and it can be easily dropped onto someone else's drink without them knowing'
A YOUNG woman walks into her first rave party. A security guard searches her bag and finds nothing suspicious. But she is carrying drugs -- outside the venue a stranger sold her a vial of ``liquid ecstasy' ' for $20. The vial was poured into a drink bottle, which the woman quickly consumes before she starts to dance. Feelings of euphoria kick in about five minutes later, and the woman looks forward to a night of non-stop dancing.
But before long her energy is sapped. Confused, she leaves the main dance area and finds a seat. Drowsiness leads to unconsciousness and then her breathing stops.
This is the nightmarish scenario which drug experts and paramedics fear will soon lead to the death of a young man or woman at a rave party event.
The illegal and potentially lethal drug is fantasy -- a colourless and odourless liquid derived from surgical anaesthetic. The drug is believed to have caused two near-fatal overdoses in Brisbane and two more on the Gold Coast in less than a month.
The drug goes by a series of other names including liquid ecstasy or liquid X -- a dangerous deception, according to Alcohol and Drug Foundation chief executive Bob Aldred.
Aldred says that when fantasy is sold under those names, the unwary user thinks they are getting ecstasy -- an amphetamine-based stimulant. Although also illegal, ecstasy is popular among many who attend raves or other nightclubs with electronic music because it keeps them dancing all night. But fantasy does exactly the opposite.
``Fantasy is more like heroin,''
Aldred says. ``It depresses the central nervous system.''
In small doses, the drug produces euphoria and relaxation and can even act as an aphrodisiac.
But Aldred warns that unlike stimulants such as ecstasy, fantasy can have deadly consequences.
``The normal dosage is very small,'' he says. ``The dose only has to increase marginally to shut down your central nervous system and respiratory system.''
Such was the recent experience of a Brisbane man and woman, both in their early 20s.
The man collapsed in a Fortitude Valley car park about 7am on Saturday after a night of dancing with friends. It is believed he took fantasy less than two hours before his collapse. Paramedics rushed the man to the Prince Charles Hospital at Chermside, in Brisbane's north, and he was later put on life support. Against the advice of doctors, he checked out less than 24 hours later, but is expected to recover fully.
The woman had a much closer brush with death after attending the all- night Advent'jah rave festival at Brisbane's RNA Showground last month.
Paramedics were called to the woman's aid at 5.45am after she collapsed. An ambulance rushed her to the Royal Brisbane Hospital; on the way her breathing stopped. She was revived by paramedics and remained in intensive care for two days.
Ambulance clinical support officer Dave Wharton says the woman was
very lucky to have escaped death or brain damage.
``If she hadn't had the proper treatment early she would have had a hypoxic brain injury and severe cerebral irritation which could have led to her death,'' Wharton says.
The fresh wave of fantasy overdoses began on the Gold Coast in mid- March. Seven people collapsed in a number of locations, and two of those were placed on life support after they stopped breathing.
DOCTORS issued a warning about the near-fatal overdoses, but health professionals still fear the drug -- which sells at between $8 and $20 a ``hit'' -- is growing in popularity as a cheap alternative to ecstasy.
``We've had an increase in cases relating to fantasy use since Christmas, '' paramedic Wharton says.
``Before then, ecstasy was quite prolific, but fantasy seems to have
taken over.''
Wharton says that if users of fantasy and other recreational drugs ignore warnings about the varying strengths of illegal narcotics, they could end up dead.
``It's like putting a gun to your head,'' he says. ``You've got no idea at all what's in them.''
Aldred also warns potential fantasy users against complacency.
``At some point of time someone's going to die from this,'' he says.
But regular users and dealers of designer narcotics such as fantasy say overdoses mostly occur when the inexperienced buy drugs from strangers.
Teens say the drug scene at rave parties and nightclubs revolves around small-time dealers who sell only to friends.
``Nobody buys from a stranger in a club because everybody knows it' s not safe,'' one clubber says.
``You don't know what you are getting. People buy from friends they trust who usually have tested the pills. You wouldn't consider buying from anyone at a rave -- the risks are too high.''
Aldred is quick to point out that over the long term, supposedly ``safe' ' drug use can have a range of catastrophic side effects, including psychotic breakdown.
But also of deep concern is the threat of someone overdosing on fantasy without realising they've even taken the drug. Aldred says there is a growing fear that fantasy has been used to ``spike'' drinks.
Wharton shares that fear.
``It's tasteless and it can be easily dropped into someone else's drink without them knowing,'' he says.
Fantasy's sedative effects lower inhibitions.
The growing frequency of overdoses also has brought security at nightclubs and rave events under scrutiny.
Rave organisers such as Advent'jah
co-ordinator Jason Kinniburgh say everything humanly possible is being done to keep drugs out and protect people's lives.
Kinniburgh says nine St John Ambulance personnel and 16 Rave Safe volunteers attended Advent'jah.
The safety measures won the praise of the Queensland Intravenous AIDS Association, which says the woman who suffered a fantasy overdose could have died without such a ``safety net'' in place.
Kinniburgh says most drug users would have purchased their drugs beforehand. He says six uniformed police officers and 50 security guards were on patrol inside the event.
BUT security industry sources say high workloads and the actions of rogue guards make it impossible to stop drugs finding their way inside nightclubs and rave festivals.
Australian Executive Protection Group director Andrew Murray says up to 10 per cent of bags at major festivals are not checked properly.
The sheer numbers of people and the inexperience of some guards also makes detection difficult.
Chris Nielsen, operations manager of security firm Aces Queensland, says even with perfect bag checks, patrons can ``secrete items anywhere' '.
There was no sure-fire way besides strip-searching, obviously not a viable option.
A rogue element of security guards is also suspected of selling drugs while being paid to keep them out, Advent Security Services general manager Ray Watson says.
He says the allegations relate to nightclubs rather than major raves.
Murray says he has heard similar allegations, but only a ``small percentage' ' of guards are suspect.
``I don't think it's widespread,'' he says.
Simon Lomax, Liam Walsh, Joel Dullroy, Fantasy's fatal flaw. , The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Australia), 04-19-2002, pp 015.