i wrote this letter in about 10mins, was very rushed and unfortunately didn't think about it too much. Here is what i wrote to them. following this is what they actually put in, as u'll see some of the bits they left in were the least important and clearly as i expected were the ones that were attacked:
"I was disgusted with some of the comments found in your cover story on the ecstasy testing kits (Wed, 7/6). It only served to further prove how dangerously out of touch with reality some of the ministers and police are. The E-Z test is undoubtedly the most important tool ever developed for ecstasy users. Until the government endorses precise quantitative lab testing this is the best we have got.
Week after week users simply buy a pill and throw it down. Generally they just waste their money, sometimes their night is ruined, and on the rare occasion it could have tragic consequences. Since using the tester I have never once had anything less than a fantastic night on what imo is a very special drug.
Users are well aware that the test does not prove safety, purity and strength. But the chances of finding harmful adulterants in pills which DO contain MDMA is far less than the fakes, which contain the dangerous chemical cocktails attempting to reproduce the MDMA effect. No one is claiming MDMA is safe either; but its inherently safer than most of the other chemicals contained in the pills.
Kevin Prince's comment is disgustingly irresponsible and naive. No one is just going to simply stop using the drug. Especially a drug like XTC, as users do not consider it a drug of abuse. Intelligent, responsible users know its a once a month, at most, journey into unparalleled fun, love and enjoyment. Harm reduction and education is the only way, and the testers are a step in the right direction. Threatening arrest on people possessing them is disgraceful; that is what is immoral.
Fred Gere's comment that its potential is limited and its just a money making scheme is totally wrong. The people supplying the testers are doing something far more positive than the police which just continue to argue that its illegal and dangerous, not achieving anything in the process. Additionally the biggest problem facing XTC users today is the fake and dangerous pills. Almost all the deaths and hospitalisations are through people who haven't actually taken MDMA at all. The testers will hopefully begin to wipe these off the streets as users will begin to be far more selective.
Until then I want all users to ignore that utter garbage which was printed and go out and get yourself a tester. You will save a lot of money and potential heartache; but remember you are dealing with a very powerful and potentially dangerous drug; be careful and responsible. And responsible, Kevin Prince, is educating and protecting yourself and that begins with utilising the testing kit!
In the West: I was disgusted with some of the comments in your report on the ecstasy testing kits (Wed, 7/6). They proved how dangerously out of touch with reality some of the ministers and police are.
The E-Z test is undoubtedly the most important tool ever developed for ecstasy users.
Since using the tester I have never once had anything less than a fantastic night on what imo is a very special drug.
Kevin Prince's comment is naive. No one is just going to simply stop using ecstasy. It is not considered a drug of abuse. Intelligent, responsible users know its a once a month journey into fun, love and enjoyment. Harm reduction and education is the only way, and the testers are a step in the right direction.
Acting Det-Supt Fred Gere's comment that its potential is limited and its just a money making scheme is totally wrong. The people supplying the testers are doing something far more positive than the police.
The biggest problem facing XTC users today is the fake and dangerous pills. Almost all the deaths and hospital cases are through people who haven't actually taken MDMA at all. The testers will hopefully begin to wipe these off the streets as users will begin to be far more selective."
The other letter in support of this mainly discussed a personal exp, where he/she had to care for a friend after they took a bad pill, and then later found out via the tester, gee what a surprise, that it didn't have mdma in it. He/she discusses dancesafe and how the police cannot totally stop illegal drug use and that the kits are preventing what the police want to avoid, deaths.
Now the replies:
"The two letters about the drug known as ecstasy are a sad reminder of how depraved and degraded our society has become.
One writer claims that "intelligent, responsible users, know it is a once-a-month journey into fun, love and enjoyment." The other claims that he or she has often been asked "whether I am chasing a pill"
The very fact that so much so-called "fun, love and enjoyment" must be bundled into a stupid pill, sold illegally and often in subterfuge as some other deadly concoction, shows just how naive some people really are.
The other thing that amused me about these letters is that neither author had the courage of their own convictions to allow their names and suburbs to be appended to them."
And just today someone also took offence to my phrase "intelligent and responsible users"; as he/she feels that "no one who abuses their body with illegal and dangerous drugs could ever be considered to be either."
well there u go, but as matzuber pointed out we did get support from someone with far more clout than any of us, Dr Wodak (director of alcohol and drug service, St. Vincents hospital) quite clearly blasted Kevin Prince, and showed clear support for any device which could reduce harm, which brought a nice grin to my face.
