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Los Angeles promoting safe ecstasy use

February 5, 2011

Los Angeles County Health officials have posted tips for safe ecstasy use at the publicly owned Los Angeles Coliseum and Sports Arena. [LAWeekly]

These health officials have embarked on a campaign to teach young people how to reduce potential harms of ecstasy that includes a plan to distribute fliers at raves that will give tips on safe use.

Tips include, stay hydrated, don’t drive, aim for low dose and frequency and keep an eye on your friends.


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If people are really concerned about the welfare of others, then they would applaud this move. Information is power. Knowledge can never hurt, it can only improve and help people. If, on the other hand, you’re more concerned with controlling other people or trying to protect your children by keeping them igorant, then I could see how it would upset you.


Yet ironically, those who are upset at this probably have no issue giving their children Tylenol, which kills a hell of a lot more people each year than ecstasy does.


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You’re such a contortionist! LOL! This program is not “information”, it’s tips for taking drugs “responsibly” which only teaches the lesson that it is safe to ingest unknown chemicals and the uncontrolled dosage of illicitly manufactured drugs that you bought from a stranger! This cannot be done safely by any stretch of the imagination–especially the Liberal’s imagination which teaches that we must ban texting and walking, but that it’s okay to take illicit drugs. Go figure!


To the farce about controlling people: It is not “controlling” to teach children that drugs are harmful. It is prudent.


And then you throw down the utterly silly line about Tylenol! What a fool and apologist! Now go research how many people take Tylenol vs ecstacy, how many are injured, and come back when you have a per capita figure to share with us.


But, hey, I’m for freedom, so go smoke a bongload or pop some X and see if I care. Just don’t extort my tax money to endorse it while telling me I’m being controlling.


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SLORider if someone in this world had cared about you enough to share information with you then maybe you wouldnt be such a thoughtless mean bullying tool


I’ll give a damn if your tax dollars go towards this issue as soon as I have an option of aving my taxes not go towards bombs that kill tens of thousands of civilians each years while you worry about a little information at a rave. You stay classy


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Absolutely I totally agree with you ososkid. People get all bent out of shape over the dumbest things while they seem to have no problem with things like blowing up brown people. It’s just mind-boggling.


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Hey man as far as I’m concerned our tax dollars would not be used for a whole lot of nonsense. Nonetheless if they’re going to steal it and spend it, I would prefer that it goes to some kind of information, whether it’s a HOW TO or not, rather than continuing a drug war which creates exactly the kind of environment you describe… were kids can potentially get bad drugs from people they don’t know with no quality standards. Enforcement of prohibition creates a self fulfilling prophecy for whatever substance is prohibited by backing people who have made poor decisions into corners where they see no other option but to continue those poor decisions.


The irony about most “conservatives” in this country is that they simultaneously want free markets (which I am all for, being a TRUE conservative), and yet contradict themselves by seeking regulations which control behavior and the decisions people make for their own lives.


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Any minute now that drug war is going to start working… …any minute …yep just give it a sec …right after the Cuba embargo succeeds, you’ll see


I understand on its face how this is something that a lot of people are going to be uncomfortable with, to say the least. This might not be the right policy but it is a step in the direction of starting to be a little more pragmatic about the drug problem in this country by seeing it for what it really is, a public health issue


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When can I expect a “How To Safety Brochure” from the Highway Patrol informing me on how to safely drink and drive?


I think society would be better served if the LA County Health Department, offered a drug overdose version of the Darwin Awards illustrating how users can be injured or killed. Make it real, make it harsh, make it in full color, show the corpses of teens and young adults in their final act of poor choices!


I’d rather have my teen exposed to a realistic hard core photos and narratives of deceased drug users, than given a offensive “how to use illegal drug brochure” from a government agency.


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I would not have a problem with this — except that I remember all the overblown scare stories about the “evil weed” back in the sixties and seventies. It was so at odds with what I saw among those I knew using pot, that I gave no credence to it and began distrusting the honesty and integrity of those who promoted the propaganda.


I would guess that modern kids have the same distrust due to continued over-reaction to the less harmful illegal pastimes and would be skeptical of the accuracy of a “scare tactics” type of education.


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Bob, The way the kids see that is as follows, “that happened to someone else and it isn’t going to happen to me”. After all, it didn’t happen to any of their friends and their friends are using it.


Adult’s who aren’t even alcoholics know that if they should be involved in an accident while they are at a .08% BAC or higher, they can end up in prison for many years if someone is killed or seriously injured. They also know that some accidents are unavoidable and yet they drive with 3 drinks (an easy .08%) frequently. It’s never going to happen to them, not the executives, not the upstanding citizens or the educators, not even the cops. What is it that you don’t get bob?


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Here is a link to the actual full story:


http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/02/rave_commission_edc_1.php


I am still shaking my head at this one…


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After reading the article you linked, I have to modify my previous response slightly. These events should be off limits to minors and the use of marijuana and ecstasy should be treated like use of alcohol. Society has decided (defacto) that people are sufficiently mature in judgment by the age of 21 to be responsible for their own mistakes. While such maturity can vary quite a bit in my judgment (ranging from 16-25 years old in my experience), this would be a reasonable compromise.


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Why stop at ecstasy? Why not do the same for marijuana, crack, meth, etc.? They are also illegal substances used by the same crowd. I shake my head on this one. It’s just wrong.


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I think there is a higher correlation of “E” usage with use of tobacco or alcohol, driving, attending school and probably several other human activities. Why not make them illegal and target those people too?


The only person I KNEW who did ecstasy was a 30ish young professional who only did it at the infrequent parties he attended. He also smoked pot and drank booze at these parties. While I don’t think that he was ignorant of the risks, he decided that the high was worth it on occasion.


I don’t see the dangers of smoking pot or taking “E” as greater to society than the problems caused by making them illegal. These include overcrowding of prisons, permanently labeling large numbers of otherwise law-abiding people as “criminals”, forcing those who do choose to do it to associate with distributors who are real criminals, and generating a general distrust and disrespect for law enforcement personal and the legal system as a whole.


Ecstasy is more dangerous health-wise than pot/alcohol/tobacco in that it can cause sudden, serious reactions like high fever. But it doesn’t foster the aggressiveness that alcohol sometimes does and the only other significant societal dangers are shared with booze and marijuana (unplanned pregnancies and medical costs for the uninsured). Since outright legalization is probably not politically viable — logical though it may be — I have no problem with someone trying to minimize the negative effects in a setting where it is likely to be used by many people.


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People seem to think that if we keep repeating the same message, ie: “DON”T DO IT, the kids will stop using drugs? It never worked before, did it? When the warning “not to” isn’t enough, then why not warn them about the best way to get lucky enough to possibly live through it long enough to grow up?


danika, While you and I are generally in agreement 98% of time (or so it often seems) I have to disagree this time. I do surely understand why people are upset about this latest program. It absolutely gives the impression (to the kids) that the use of the drug is “accepted” which can be confused with “acceptable”. This program isn’t about the use of ecstasy being “acceptable” it’s about the fact that it can be “deadly” and yet, on any given weekend 10,000+ kids are swallowing the drug and not the message. I get that part and yes it is frustrating.


While it’s true that kids who use a wide gamut of illegal drugs also use ecstasy, it isn’t true that the kids who have been introduced to ecstasy use other illegal drugs. I have friends with great kids, they are good kids who don’t get into trouble and work hard at school and maintain high GPA’s. Those same kids are the same ones who have gone out to raves with their friends and later admitted to using ecstasy.


Unfortunately it’s considered a social drug that gets teenagers out of their shell by bringing on a euphoric state of mind, the kids all feel an intense understanding and love for each other while they are high on the serotonin reactive chemical . We all know that teenage years are difficult particularly where acceptance is concerned and these kids are falling prey to this drug at an alarming rate because of it’s effects without realizing that they are drawing down natural chemicals that they need for everyday maintenance . Kids often will listen to their friends who have used the drug and friends who assure them that it is harmless ie: look at me, I’ve done it 10 times (no not me), it was a blast and I’m fine, we all did it and we are all fine and we are now all best friends who truly love and understand each other, blah blah blah.


It wasn’t any different when I was growing up and being warned about pot. I tried it several times anyway and I was a good kid that didn’t drink or use drugs but pot seemed different. My friends used it and they were all fine so it didn’t matter what the adults had to say. Kids are kids especially in their quest to be part of the group. Kids today are no different and ecstasy seems different to them than other drugs. Of course we know that it can cause severe depression and it can also be deadly, but the kids know everything, just ask them!


The idea of warning the kids to stay hydrated because they can over heat easily and die particularly since a rave is about dancing all night and partying and the idea of telling them to watch their friends are actually excellent idea’s because if they aren’t going to listen to us when we tell them not to use it then it’s the only thing we can say to them about it that hopefully they are going to listen to.


So Again, Why don’t people get that telling them to say no isn’t going to always work? When the warning “not to” isn’t enough, then why not warn them on how live through it until they grow up?


just saying……are going to do it anyway.


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C. Everett Koop Surgeon General, stated that using a water pipe reduced the risk of smoking, so the smart kids began using bongs.Bongs are water pipes BTW.


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New health and safety programs for kids:


– Safe gun use: How to handle and carry safely without accidentally shooting your homies or your junk.


– Safe paint huffing: Avoid metallic colors and be sure to use re-usable cloth bags.


BUT DON’T RIDE A BIKE WITHOUT A HELMET!!!


How stupid is that?


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Absolute insanity. Who every suggested this program needs to be on the ranks of the unemployed.


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It’s frightening that people gave thumbs down to this comment. People, people, people. Seriously?? You see no wrong in this program…???


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Nope, I don’t actually. Information is never a bad thing.


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Liberal claptrap is not information.


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“Liberal claptrap” is a troll .


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Kind of like condom use education for kids. We’d prefer they don’t have sex, but if / when they do, might as well make the best of it…


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Yeah, we’d prefer you not risk ruining your life and your health, so be irresponsible responsibly. Completely moronic.


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Condoms aren’t an illegal substance. BIG difference.


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Why does it make a difference whether it is illegal or not? You can’t provide information on things because they are illegal? You don’t see the potential problem inherent with this thinking?


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Wow. That is an interesting approach. I’m not sure how I feel about this.


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Then stay away from the keys until you do.


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