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 "Be aware. Kids can get any drug they want. You can’t keep them away from it, but you can inform them of it before they see it."
— Anonymous teen

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Know the Trends: Rave Parties

Ecstasy

High energy, all-night dance parties and clubs known as "raves," which feature dance music with a fast, pounding beat and choreographed laser programs, have become increasingly popular over the last decade, particularly among teenagers and young adults. Beginning as an underground movement in Europe, raves have evolved into a highly organized, commercialized, worldwide party culture. Rave parties and clubs are now found throughout the United States and in countries around the world. Raves are held either in permanent dance clubs or at temporary venues set up for a single weekend event in abandoned warehouses, open fields, or empty buildings.

Attendance can range from 30 "ravers" in a small club to tens of thousands in a sports stadium or open field. While techno music and light shows are essential to raves, drugs such as MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) also known as ecstasy, ketamine, GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate), Rohypnol, and LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) have become an integral component of the rave culture.

By the late 1990s, raves in the United States had become so commercialized that events were little more than an exploitation of American youth. Today's raves are characterized by high entrance fees, extensive drug use, exorbitantly priced bottled water, very dark and often dangerously overcrowded dance floors, and "chill rooms," where ravers go to cool down and often engage in open sexual activity.

Pacifier

Moreover, many club owners and promoters appear to promote the use of drugs—especially MDMA. They provide bottled water and sports drinks to manage hyperthermia and dehydration; pacifiers to prevent involuntary teeth clenching; and menthol nasal inhalers, chemical lights, and neon glow sticks to enhance the effects of MDMA. In addition, rave promoters often print flyers featuring prominent and repeated use of the letters "E" and "X" (E and X are MDMA street names) or the word "rollin" (refers to an MDMA high), surreptitiously promoting MDMA use along with the rave.

So, if you have noticed that your son or daughter has a vast collection of glow sticks in his or her room, ask them where they got them and what they’re using them for. Let them know that you know that happens at raves and that you’re aware of the drug use at these parties. Now is a good time to reinforce your family’s rules about drugs.

Information Provided by the National Drug Intelligence Center, a component of the Department of Justice

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