Over the past year there has been considerable media coverage given to the increasing incidence of ecstasy-related deaths in Canada. In BC alone, 16 people died from adverse effects to the party drug in 2011; two more have already died in 2012.
At least five of these deaths have been blamed on the drug being cut with a previously rare and harmful ingredient, PMMA, which is up to five times more potent than the drug’s preferred ingredient, MDMA.
When this bad batch surfaced in June of 2011, police and media alerted the general public and went on to rail about the deaths as pointless and preventable, while the numbers continued to mount.
What police should have really done, instead of giving the tired “you’re always in danger when you take drugs” validation, was something far more useful and potentially life-saving, like sharing real details (colour, shape, stamp) of the tainted drug.
We should be focusing on equipping those inclined to take the drug with the knowledge to recognize a bad pill if they come across one.
Measures like this need to be taken to protect our youth and inform and arm them so that future loss of life can be minimized. While we can’t protect them from themselves, we can try and protect them from the unscrupulous drug pushers that knowingly incorporate hazardous ingredients into their products.
Is it too much to ask for a little more awareness when it comes to social drugs like ecstasy and cocaine, where the typical user is somebody you probably work with or even sit beside in class?
The Dutch, who always seem to be ahead of the game when it comes to educating their citizens on drug safety, have introduced on-the-spot drug testing at large raves and once a week at most cafes.
This provides users with knowledge of what they’re really ingesting and also educates them on safer drug practices and deters those making the drugs from using toxic components.
These sensible drug precautions are being adopted throughout Europe; it’s definitely time that Canada followed suit instead of forcing young, healthy partygoers to play Russian roulette with their social behaviours.
Of course, there will always be the argument that drugs are dangerous and providing harm-reduction tools will condone their use, but the social cost is too high. When it comes to drug use, it seems as if our officials believe that dead bodies are the best deterrent.