ozbreaker
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2002
- Messages
- 3,530
from news.com.au...
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9321339%255E421,00.html
the 2nd part was a whole interview with johnboy which i assume is the bluelighter..
party drugs take over from booze
By Emma-Kate Symons
April 19, 2004
PARTY drugs have entered the mainstream of Australian youth culture, as cashed-up twenty-somethings shun alcohol in favour of ecstasy, speed and cocaine.
The drugs are "a normal part of young people's leisure time", according to Cameron Duff, director of the Australian Drug Foundation's Centre for Youth Drug Studies.
The trend is the result of years of prosperity and a sharp drop in party drug prices, Dr Duff will tell a conference in Melbourne this week.
"It seems that young people are making the choice to take party drugs rather than drink alcohol on a regular basis," Dr Duff told The Australian. "And these drugs are incredibly cheap now. After a decade of economic prosperity, there is a new class of young people with high disposable income, at a level where they are going out twice in a weekend, and thinking nothing of paying $30 for a pill."
Dr Duff will release the results of a new survey of youth drug habits and attitudes to the 15th International Conference on Drug Related Harm, beginning tomorrow.
Speakers include UN officials, Indonesian Health Minister Achman Sujudi and medical experts and academics from around the world.
The study of 450 Melbourne nightclubbers with an average age of 23 shows just under 60 per cent had tried a party drug and the vast majority of those used them on a "semi-regular basis" of about once a month. About 50 per cent of users took party drugs weekly or fortnightly.
At least 85 per cent of those who had tried a party drug had tried ecstasy; 78 per cent had tried speed; 55 per cent cocaine; 30 per cent ketamine (an anaesthetic commonly known as horse tranquiliser); and 10 per cent had used GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate or G, a depressant touted as a euphoric drug).
Almost 25 per cent of those who had not taken a party drug expected to take one in the future, and 80 per cent of non-users agreed that using drugs was a "normal" part of going out.
The research comes as NSW police cracked down on illegal drugs in Sydney's Oxford Street, following weekend newspaper reports that marijuana and ecstasy were being sold over the counter in an inner-city convenience store.
A 33-year-old Darlinghurst shopkeeper was charged with possessing a prohibited drug and possessing a knife, and police expect he will be eventually charged with dealing drugs. Seven other drug-related arrests were made.
Dr Duff said there had been a "massive increase" in availability of party drugs in Australia since the early 1990s, when ecstasy pills cost up to $70 and were taken mainly at alternative rave parties - not at mainstream dance venues and bars.
"Now we have a youth culture that basically regards the use of party drugs as basically safe," he said. "Once you get to that point governments can say what they like but it's going to take a lot to shift that perception."Drug use trends tend to start in Sydney because Sydney is the major point of influx for substances, and then the trends slowly spread throughout the rest of the country."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ravers line up to put pills to the test
By Gosia Kaszubska
THE ravers who line up 10 deep to have their pills tested by Johnboy Davidson usually don't throw away their drugs once they know what's in them. But that's not the point.
Mr Davidson regularly sets up stalls at rave parties to provide free testing of the various pills many people take with only the hope, and a dealer's word, that they contain some active ingredient.
It's one model of minimising the harm to users - a technically illegal version of the scientific testing of pills in countries such as Holland, where dealers are able to send drugs to government agencies for analysis.
Mr Davidson will be talking about his experiences in Melbourne today at an international conference examining youth nightlife culture.
Club Health 2004 is the first conference of its kind in the nation, with speakers from countries including Holland, Britain and the US detailing various approaches to the use of legal and illegal drugs in bars, nightclubs and other party settings.
Convenor Paul Dillon, of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, says it is essential to share ideas on ways to deal with the many problems associated with the club culture.
"It's not just ecstasy - it's alcohol, the people who go into the venues," Mr Dillon says.
Alcohol and nicotine remain the most popular drugs, but about 6 per cent of Australians have tried ecstasy, rising to about 20 per cent in the 20-29 age group.
Members of the group Enlighten have been promoting harm-minimisation techniques among ecstasy users for about three years.
Mr Davidson, a founding member of the group, and a small group of volunteers set up their stall with permission from promoters. At larger events they often test hundreds of pills a night.
"A lot of us are older people who really aren't into raves and drugs any more," he said.
"I want to look out for people, see them make good choices."
The legally available kits show the main substance in the pill - a purple-black result means it contains an ecstasy-like substance, orange indicates methamphetamine, or speed.
Mr Davidson admitted it was rare for clubbers to change their minds once a pill was tested, but he believes his approach is a more realistic way of dealing with people determined to use the drugs, whatever society or the law says.
"People were taking pills before we came along and they'll be taking them long after we leave," he said.
"We're supplying people with information upon which they can make choices."
The rudimentary kits do not reveal the amount of ecstasy in a pill or any other dangerous substances, but Mr Davidson said his testing had helped save at least 10 lives.
In each case, knowing the main ingredient of the pill the person had taken gave ambulance officers a crucial head-start in treatment.
"We're trying to make people, as end-users of drugs, be more assertive," Mr Davidson said.
The Australian
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9321339%255E421,00.html
the 2nd part was a whole interview with johnboy which i assume is the bluelighter..
party drugs take over from booze
By Emma-Kate Symons
April 19, 2004
PARTY drugs have entered the mainstream of Australian youth culture, as cashed-up twenty-somethings shun alcohol in favour of ecstasy, speed and cocaine.
The drugs are "a normal part of young people's leisure time", according to Cameron Duff, director of the Australian Drug Foundation's Centre for Youth Drug Studies.
The trend is the result of years of prosperity and a sharp drop in party drug prices, Dr Duff will tell a conference in Melbourne this week.
"It seems that young people are making the choice to take party drugs rather than drink alcohol on a regular basis," Dr Duff told The Australian. "And these drugs are incredibly cheap now. After a decade of economic prosperity, there is a new class of young people with high disposable income, at a level where they are going out twice in a weekend, and thinking nothing of paying $30 for a pill."
Dr Duff will release the results of a new survey of youth drug habits and attitudes to the 15th International Conference on Drug Related Harm, beginning tomorrow.
Speakers include UN officials, Indonesian Health Minister Achman Sujudi and medical experts and academics from around the world.
The study of 450 Melbourne nightclubbers with an average age of 23 shows just under 60 per cent had tried a party drug and the vast majority of those used them on a "semi-regular basis" of about once a month. About 50 per cent of users took party drugs weekly or fortnightly.
At least 85 per cent of those who had tried a party drug had tried ecstasy; 78 per cent had tried speed; 55 per cent cocaine; 30 per cent ketamine (an anaesthetic commonly known as horse tranquiliser); and 10 per cent had used GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate or G, a depressant touted as a euphoric drug).
Almost 25 per cent of those who had not taken a party drug expected to take one in the future, and 80 per cent of non-users agreed that using drugs was a "normal" part of going out.
The research comes as NSW police cracked down on illegal drugs in Sydney's Oxford Street, following weekend newspaper reports that marijuana and ecstasy were being sold over the counter in an inner-city convenience store.
A 33-year-old Darlinghurst shopkeeper was charged with possessing a prohibited drug and possessing a knife, and police expect he will be eventually charged with dealing drugs. Seven other drug-related arrests were made.
Dr Duff said there had been a "massive increase" in availability of party drugs in Australia since the early 1990s, when ecstasy pills cost up to $70 and were taken mainly at alternative rave parties - not at mainstream dance venues and bars.
"Now we have a youth culture that basically regards the use of party drugs as basically safe," he said. "Once you get to that point governments can say what they like but it's going to take a lot to shift that perception."Drug use trends tend to start in Sydney because Sydney is the major point of influx for substances, and then the trends slowly spread throughout the rest of the country."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ravers line up to put pills to the test
By Gosia Kaszubska
THE ravers who line up 10 deep to have their pills tested by Johnboy Davidson usually don't throw away their drugs once they know what's in them. But that's not the point.
Mr Davidson regularly sets up stalls at rave parties to provide free testing of the various pills many people take with only the hope, and a dealer's word, that they contain some active ingredient.
It's one model of minimising the harm to users - a technically illegal version of the scientific testing of pills in countries such as Holland, where dealers are able to send drugs to government agencies for analysis.
Mr Davidson will be talking about his experiences in Melbourne today at an international conference examining youth nightlife culture.
Club Health 2004 is the first conference of its kind in the nation, with speakers from countries including Holland, Britain and the US detailing various approaches to the use of legal and illegal drugs in bars, nightclubs and other party settings.
Convenor Paul Dillon, of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, says it is essential to share ideas on ways to deal with the many problems associated with the club culture.
"It's not just ecstasy - it's alcohol, the people who go into the venues," Mr Dillon says.
Alcohol and nicotine remain the most popular drugs, but about 6 per cent of Australians have tried ecstasy, rising to about 20 per cent in the 20-29 age group.
Members of the group Enlighten have been promoting harm-minimisation techniques among ecstasy users for about three years.
Mr Davidson, a founding member of the group, and a small group of volunteers set up their stall with permission from promoters. At larger events they often test hundreds of pills a night.
"A lot of us are older people who really aren't into raves and drugs any more," he said.
"I want to look out for people, see them make good choices."
The legally available kits show the main substance in the pill - a purple-black result means it contains an ecstasy-like substance, orange indicates methamphetamine, or speed.
Mr Davidson admitted it was rare for clubbers to change their minds once a pill was tested, but he believes his approach is a more realistic way of dealing with people determined to use the drugs, whatever society or the law says.
"People were taking pills before we came along and they'll be taking them long after we leave," he said.
"We're supplying people with information upon which they can make choices."
The rudimentary kits do not reveal the amount of ecstasy in a pill or any other dangerous substances, but Mr Davidson said his testing had helped save at least 10 lives.
In each case, knowing the main ingredient of the pill the person had taken gave ambulance officers a crucial head-start in treatment.
"We're trying to make people, as end-users of drugs, be more assertive," Mr Davidson said.
The Australian
