Cowboy Mac
Bluelighter
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Rave drug tests won't save lives
By EDITH BEVIN, CARA JENKIN and DANIEL CLARKE
DRUG testing on offer at a weekend dance party will not save young South Australian ravers from the devastating effects of Red Mitsubishi, experts warned last night.
Ravers going to the Enchanted Forest dance party this weekend have told The Advertiser there will be "drugs aplenty".
"You see people taking drugs all the time. There's mostly party pills going around that everybody takes these days," said 19-year-old Michael Paul.
"Every five minutes a dealer is looking to sell. You will get offered pills. It would not take long to find some."
Police and ambulance officers have visited the site of the rave and have plans to tackle illicit drugs and possible overdoses.
Enchanted Forest organisers yesterday refused to comment on drugs or testing at the event.
But The Advertiser has learned partygoers expect testing facilities to be offered so they can check the purity of their drugs.
The tests have been used overseas. They allow users to test if the main ingredient is the chemical MDMA, or other more dangerous substitutes.
Police would not comment on testing being offered at the event.
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre communications manager Paul Dillon said problems with Red Mitsubishi stemmed from its purity.
"The ecstasy that is being called Red Mitsubishi has very high-strength MDMA," Mr Dillon said.
"The vast majority of ecstasy made in Australia has no MDMA in it at all – it's all methamphetamine.
"The reactions that are being reported would seem to be reactions to MDMA – maybe that our users haven't built up a tolerance to it. Testing these drugs is not going to do much good because it seems that the reality is what you want from the drug is actually causing the trouble. The tests show that it contains MDMA."
Enchanted Forest is being held at an undisclosed location "at least one hour's drive" from Adelaide, according to its website.
Organisers will release maps with the location of the rave on Friday night.
Most ravers are expected to arrive on chartered buses.
It starts at 2pm on Saturday and runs until 7am on Sunday.
Some parents have contacted The Advertiser, saying they have banned their children from the event because of the predicted availability of drugs and the secrecy over the location.
"My older daughter said she saw someone airlifted to hospital after an overdose – this event is not something that should be all ages," said a parent of a 14-year-old girl.
"It's in a non-disclosed area out of Adelaide with little mobile coverage and parents don't know until the last minute where it is."
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Keith man Christopher Gurney last night remained in a critical condition in hospital after overdosing on Red Mitsubishi.
I am surprised by the short-sightedness of NDARC in suggesting that because a reagent reaction would give a positive result for MDxx with a Red Mitsubishi that the whole idea of pill testing is of no value. Has everyone forgotten that lab testing is meant to be used in addition to less accurate forms of spot testing such as reagent tests? Has everyone forgotten that this system has worked flawlessly throughout Europe since the early 90's? Why is Australia dragging its feet and putting people unnecessarily at risk when there is a safer alternative available?
edit: read this post. Paul Dillion's comments were taken out of context.
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