The
underground rave scene began in Europe in the 1980s, according to the Drug
Enforcement Agency (DEA). Locations consisted of big, empty warehouses that
could hold hundreds, even thousands, of individuals.
Raves
came to the USA in 1990 with promoters doing their best to bring new
participants and young people to their events.
Big,
dance parties would take place into the early hours of the morning. Raving,
essentially, was more dangerous in these times because of how misinformed
participants were of the drugs they were taking and of the general precautions
one must take to enjoy a healthy and safe rave.
The
real dangers from raving are not what they appear to be at first glance. For
one, not every rave drug is dangerous if taken in moderation and precautions
are taken to protect the body from side effects.
When
raves began, pills and capsules of ecstasy were circulated through the parties
without anyone really knowing what they were taking. Drug dealers, sometimes,
were even unaware of what they were selling.
This
uncertainty has morphed into an almost obsessive need to know what a drug is
and how it works. Nowadays, ecstasy pills are almost unheard of.
The
true danger of ecstasy is not the drug MDMA itself but other drugs that the
pills end up being cut with. Heroine, cocaine, meth and simply unhealthy
ingredients were put into ecstasy pills to increase their effects and
effectiveness.
“Molly”
and “M1” have become the go-to drug for raves. Both are a white powder taken
orally, either by capsules or direct absorption in the gums and mouth.
These
drugs make it harder for individuals to place unnecessary ingredients in them
because of how distinctive the qualities of M1 and molly are.
Drug
dealers (and most ravers) now know how their drugs are supposed to look, taste,
smell and feel. This knowledge gain has been one of the most distinctive
features of the increasing safety in the raving scene.
Raves
have been growing in popularity for many reasons. For one, the Internet makes
promotion for these events extremely easy and efficient. Now instead of hearing
about a rave through a flyer or word of mouth, Facebook invites to events are
literally as easy as the click of a button.
With
the advancement of technology comes cheaper means of implementing this
technology into everyday (or night) activities. Raves are actually extremely
cheap to put on. The DJs are generally not paid unless they are famous or
extremely well know. Lights are usually donated or provided by the event
planners or promoters who already have a wide array of rave equipment.
Promoters
are the driving force behind raves: they inform everyone of the location (which
they had picked), schedule djs, set up the venue beforehand, among other tasks.
The Internet has increased the number of promoters needed for an event but
decreased the overall knowledge and actual interest of any one individual
promoter. Now some people promote for the sole purpose of receiving a free
ticket to that event.
Parents
are sometimes conned into the idea of thinking a rave is safe if it is warned
that no alcohol will be served. This however only increases the number of
individuals participating in illegal drugs and doesn’t necessarily detract from
anyone’s need or desire to sneak in their own alcohol.
As
mentioned before, drugs may be a considerable danger to ravers but they are not
the biggest danger. Dehydration, ignorance of precautions, drug pushers,
property damage, sales of pharmaceuticals for nonmedical purposes and
individuals seeking to engage in nonconsensual sexual acts are all factors that
combine to potentially make raves dangerous environments.
Date
rape drugs are rare but not unheard of. These drugs include ketamine (which is
now taken willingly as a rave drug), GHB and Rohypnol.
Because
raves are focused more around drug culture rather than drink culture, fewer
individuals will participate in consuming alcohol, which decreases the overall
chances of being slipped a dangerous drug in one's drink.
Combining
alcohol use with drug use is an extremely dangerous combination. This mixture
is the one that can cause fainting or even death. Everyone at these events in
generally in their own world, so attending to a friend in need is sometimes
overlooked because the individual is not even aware their friend requires
assistance.
New
drugs have begun making their way into the USA raving community. These drugs
are known as the 2c series, which include 2ci, 2cb and 2ce. These are
experimental and research drugs that scientists have been working on in order
to decrease the side effects of natural drugs. The 2c series tries to bring the
best qualities of a drug into effect and leave the nasty side effects out of
the equation. Long-term effects of these drugs are unknown.
RIP Stirling