NEWS: [The Age] 12/08/2003 : Report urges new thinking on party drugs

Report urges new thinking on party drugs
By Chee Chee Leung
August 12, 2003

Raves, nightclubs and bars should be required by law to provide free, cold drinking water to patrons, a report into party drugs has recommended.

The report, released yesterday by the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association, also called for information about party drugs to be available to users via email and text messaging.

Association executive officer Carol Bennett said: "We need to be a little bit innovative in the way that we target young people and provide messages.

"There's a lot of potential harms related to these drugs, many of those we're simply not addressing, so it's no wonder that young people see these drugs as safe."

The association represents Victorian alcohol and drug agencies. Ms Bennett, who wrote the report, Beyond 'e': exploring the impact of party drugs on current day youth and culture, said 20 per cent of people aged 20 to 29 had used party drugs, as well as 6 per cent of the general population.

The most commonly used were ecstasy, ketamine, methamphetamine and GHB, also known as "fantasy" or "liquid ecstasy".

The report recommended that state and local governments take more responsibility for the safety of people using these drugs.

In addition to free drinking water, she said clubs should provide chill-out rooms, heated spaces in winter, cool areas in summer, and access to medical care and peer support.

The State Government is developing guidelines to encourage licensed venues to provide free or inexpensive water.

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I am a father and a ex-drug user. I have been there and done just about everything but inject. All that I can say is that during the time that I used ecstacy I met some of the most wonderful and caring people. The feeling was like being in a higher state of conciousness, and emotional freedom. There was no more white and black, straight and gay there were just wonderful people all around. You could talk to a complete stranger for hours and gain a deeper insight into people than you ever could before. I often wonder what I will tell my son when he becomes a teenager and is faced with his first Pill. I just hope that he is responsible and has good people around him at the time, I know I did.

For all you people out there that have never taken ecstacy - why ban a drug that can we can learn from, learn to love and forget about all the taboos. Open your minds to the world and get a better insight on the human soul. Ecstacy if pure can probably do more good than harm.

For those of you that have a much more stubborn approach - have a beer. Chill out and let the youngsters have their fun.

Open Mind

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