Bluelight Stall at Raves - Your thoughts/assistance please

Anjele brought up a very interesting idea in the discussion forum (an idea that has been discussed before). I would like to bring the idea back to life and make it into a reality. I really like the idea of having a Bluelight Stall at raves to further the great work we do on this board. Many issues need to be looked at - such as legalities, mission statement, objectives etc etc. It's no easy task I know, but if we pull our collective brains together I'm sure we can make this a reality.
Now of course I would like this to be a national effort but I'm limited to Melbourne for the time being - but I see no reason why this cannot be implemented into other states. Anyway, I guess what I'm looking for with this thread is ideas, suggestions and support.
What should we be amining for?
What info do we supply?
Do we make available for purchase, E testers?
What are the Legalities to all this?
Etc Etc....
I would like to meet-up with interested Bluelighters to further explore the idea and get the ball rolling (again I'm limited to Melbourne, but peeps from other states can organise similiar meetings)
I'm not crazy really, I just feel really passionate about the scene, MDMA and young people - so if there is anyone as crazy as me I'd love to hear from you!!!
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Careful with that axe Eugene....

ok i had a meeting with ravesafe victoria about this a few months back... the upshot of it was they invited us to do pilltesting at the next rave they were tabling...
but they never got back to me...
mibrane you out there?
the only thing that needs to be be sorted out really is getting the promoters and events people behind it...

Can we legally perform pill testing and what assurance do people have that they will not be busted when pills are presented for testing?
Are you still thinking that we go with Ravesafe on this JB - or is it feasible for us to go it alone?
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Careful with that axe Eugene....

Haste : the stall thing is a really really good idea. I think the first thing to do would be to contact the promoters/clubs and see what they think. IMO, most clubs wouldnt let you have a "bluelight" stall cos they won't make money and because of the possible repurcussions (sp?) on their license and business.
The info provided should include the bluelight address and what bluelight provides n does. I guess think it shoudl be general but I'm paranoid about undercovers, etc.
An impromptu n unofficial bluelight stall could be a suggestion as well. We could get a Bluelight banner made up n hang it in a chill out room or something and just have people coming up to us and asking about the Bluelight banner n get onto other stuff like pre loading, etc, etc.
Peace
rc1n

agreed its a good idea, but would be difficult to implement, ask dancesafe.org about ways to approach this as they have done it all before

Dancesafe would hold a wealth of information but unfortunately I don't think any of the legal issues that faced them apply here in Australia - we have to look at it from our legal system, not America's.
I guess my biggest issue in getting this up and running is the legalities in it all. How far can we and do we go with information, can we legally test people's pills, will they be safe from being busted for possesion. I think this is what really needs to be looked at.
Thank you for your imput - keep it coming

the only way to know is do it and see.. and even then you wont know for sure... the thing about legal matters is precedence, and there isn't much on this issue in australia... ask 3 lawyers/cops and you will get three different answers...
and as we all know possession is not that big a deal still in australia... its only the selling and trafficking that really pisses off law enforcement...
i'm not trying to start a debate on this... this is just how i feel... if someone can find me a definitive legal answer on this then fine. most lawyers will just tell you to play it sae and not be anywhere near any illegal activity... ever...

maybe someone could call the police force and ask to speak with someone related to drugs and ask them, if u spoke with a high ranking person who knows a lot about it in their drugs dept. or watever maybe that would be more appropriate than a street cops answer.
What i meant about dancesafe is i know they have diff laws, but approaching the situation is a key thing they still did. Who did they contact, how they went about it in the early stages etc.
[This message has been edited by Cowboy Mac (edited 26 September 2000).]

well if we get police support, and preove to them what we are trying to do is all good and well, maybe they'll leave us be. I've heard that that worked elsewhere, in past times. Can't remmeber where i read taht though...eeek.
Well, how about this, might sound like a bit of a long shot..but check it out and tell me what u think.
Some ppl mite have heard of iso 9 (somnething) quality standards? like..companies apply to be qulaity standard approved and if they meet the standard, they then can advertise themselves as being quality approved....well if this bluelight thing goes anywhere, why not set out a set of guidelines or sometihng that party organisers should follow to make the party safe, and then allow them to display a "bluelight approved" (or like ) symbol on their flyer......
is this feasible? what do u think haste?
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--Fuck the drugs--
--Fuck the clothes--
--Fuck the people--
--Fuck the image--
--There'd be no party if there was no music--

Well, the legality issue is a huge one for sure, but I tend to agree that people presenting pieces of pills or powder for testing would not be seen as anything arrestable (sic.)....handing a whole pill over, on the other hand, may be pushing it.
The Future Entertainment's of this world are little interested in promoting this open 'drug use' forum (even though it is in fact totally about EDUCATION and SAFETY matters), nor are most of the bigger clubs. But perhaps Every Picture (MUD) or earthcore would be prepared to host the stalls?
If you can get the space, Chemical Generation and The Peak! will supply (FREE) all the testers you need for this type of seriously good idea...
The very best of luck and keep the latest on this issue updated in this thread, won't you?

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The latest Event info, Pill Tests and Club Listings, online: http://www.the-peak.com.au

the way it sometimes works in the states is that the person holds out the pill and you, the tester, scrapes a tiny bit off it without ever touching it...
so you, the tester, are never in posession of anything... gettit?
no problem for you... just trying to convince people to show the pill will be the hardest part.... that and encouraging the police not to stand around and scare people off...
someones gpoing to do this all oin australia eventually... wouldnt we all rather it was bluelight that was leading the way?

Really liked serotone's idea about the bluelight logo presented on fliers to events. If people know that they can purchase a bikkie inside and have it tested for free straight away (or even before paying), then it may encourage dealers to sell MDMA bikkies rather than speedbombs, and eventually clean up the scene a little. A long shot, I know, but I'm willing to chip in some time and help out with the investigation and setting up of such stalls at raves - the possibilities of such an idea is quite limitless when you have a think about it.....
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I think of my life as a series of sketches; each one funnier than the last

What about contacting Paul Dillon from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (he's the guy who speaks about drugs and harm minimisation on triple j's morning show).
He would no doubt be interested in the idea and would probably know who the right people to approach would be.
Finn
Shit Cowboy Mac... you beat me to it
[This message has been edited by Finn (edited 26 September 2000).]

MUD would be the best pple to start wif asking fer a stall. definitely more likely to be successful wif them than wif future or hardware.
icq me if u need heidi john's number. shes the main "boss" n has been since MUD started.
>'.'<
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~littleHKlaserTriPPeR~

lol, yea paul dillon is the man. did some digging, check this info out.
here is a little about him. his email addy is there, but if we could all pour our thoughts into one good email and email him once, rather than 10 crappy emails our point would be a lot better. His memberships deal specifically with harm reduction and i think he would be a great help as he supports this cause also. check out his interests
"4/8/2000 Drug Trends Francis is joined by Paul Dillon from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre to talk about drug trends in Europe, night club responsibilites and harm reduction in the dance scene." thats when he was on the morning show and he is quite knowlegable. an interview he had on triple j.
he talks about pma and other stuff here in a little grab he had.
here also another article.
here is another one he features in.
he is our man for sure, now how do we play it from here??
[This message has been edited by Cowboy Mac (edited 26 September 2000).]

WOW - thank you all so much for the valuable responses - it's good to see people are passionate about this (I have no doubt in my mind it will happen now). I think we need to organise a meeting and go through some idea's in a bit more depth than we can on the board. Of course I realise many people are not from Melbourne - but similiar meetings can be organised in other states (just need some-one to organise them - anyone?)
Contacting Paul Dillon from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre is a very good idea Finn and Cowboy Mac - but I also agree that we need to construct one very well thought out email/letter on behalf of Bluelight. Ghost - my PC at home is dead at the momment so I cannot icq you, but if you can email me the details, or even come to a meeting would be great.
Ok, the meeting time and place - any suggestions - JB is your Bar ok? (I don't want to bring any unwanted attention on it). I want to get the ball rolling as soon as possible (sorry to be impatient )
Candyflip - thank you so much for your support and we will take you up on that offer I'll keep you informed and hopefully you can come along to a meeting.
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Careful with that axe Eugene....

Sometimes it really sucks being in Sydney. Bluelighters in Melbourne get to do all the exciting things *sob*
Seriously though, I know someone who works in a drug and alcohol service up here, I'll speak to her and see what she thinks of the idea and whether she thinks we might be able to get any support from within the health department. Tricky I know but it can't hurt to try.
Hey Haste, keep me informed of what's going on.
Finn

Ravesafe is currently about two weeks away from our next funding round (we're pretty sure). My own project has been fing overwhelming so RS have really been on there own in terms of administrative support, so that's probably got a lot to do with the lack of response. Humble apologies (seriously), but maintaining the sort of work they do without funding is very difficult, and people expect us to deliver the same level of service even when there's no money. Enough gripes though.
I believe bluelight is the perfect vehicle for the sorts of testing, legal, and e-centred stuff that's difficult for us to do with govt money. Its vital we do work together so that efforts aren't divided, and as I said, we have slightly different, and complimentary roles to play.
A part of our funding for next round RS will be working with the Melbourne branch of the Dance Music Indusrty Association (which represents most of the major promoters) to establish safe party guidelines (like water, access, capacity, first aid etc) so we've got that one covered, but obviously welcome input and ideas from bluelighters.
I can say fairly confidently that they will be back on the ground by November, and will be doing at least 10 parties in 8 months.In the meantime I can offer any administrative support which people may want to do from the office (like phone calls, faxing, mail etc).
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[This message has been edited by mibrane (edited 26 September 2000).]

Let me just say one thing. I am not trying to sell out this site, but if something like this is going to happen, it is gona need money to do it. I don't know the financial side of bluelight.ru but I think money is the key to be able to work something out with this "pill testing at raves". Is there enough money and help from people to actually get something like this going? It is a great idea and with the amount of people taking pills in this country now, it wont take long before people start getting hurt from bad pills. Even if this never got going, I think something should be done with just a few banners with *www.bluelight.ru*.......simple, yet effective. If we did happen to get more money from (eg: Advertising more on this site) we would be able to have Bluelight raves every now and then. Now that would really spread the word for educating people on these drugs.

a meeting at my bar is fine, haste. just make it for a wednesday or thursday night when its quieter... i'll let you sort out when.
mibrane: fair enuf. as you can see we are still serious about this idea. once a meeting is set maybe we could get pheobe(?) along and nut out a few details.
hmmm this paul dillon guy... i've heard him speak a few times.
i think i remember hearing him say on tv that most people that take ecstacy throw up immediately afterwards... i may be mistaken, it may have been someone else, but i think it was him. even the tv presenter couldnt beleive that and kept saying "but why would peope take it then?"
this was on sky tv news immediately after NYE. i'm sure it was someone who looked like him from NADRC but maybe it wasn't him...
i think my point is that even the leading lights of harm reduction get it wrong sometimes
even so he does seem like a good contact and worth tracking down. and he's sydney based right? c'mon sydney crew stop whinging and get organised we definitly need sydney to be happening if all this is to work.