Ecstasy Related Deaths in Bring Attention to Raves in Los Angeles

In the late 1990’s, raves became immensely popular, and profitable, in the underground drug party scene. Mostly they were held in abandoned warehouses or outdoor areas away from city; put together by word of mouth, coded flyers and internet forums. 

Young people, looking for a night of carefree dancing and uninhibited drug use would pay an entrance fee, and proceed to buy whatever drugs were available from dealers moving through the crowd. They would roll the dice that the drugs were what they were told they were, and even if they were, they often unknowingly put themselves at incredible risk. After many under cover crackdowns and negative press led to a decline in popularity, the rave business revived itself as a mainstream entity. Prominent promoters began booking large venues and hiring A-list musical acts to perform and the rave business was saved.

Flash forward to New Year’s Eve 2010, where a large scale rave was thrown at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. Over forty five thousand people bounced and sweat through a long night of frenzied drug use and revelry. A major drug, fueling the festivities, was the old rave favorite, ecstasy.

Also known as MDMA, ecstasy is a powerful drug that has amphetamine qualities, like increased energy and confidence, while also inducing a feeling of euphoria, lowered inhibitions and a feeling of enhanced senses. These effects seem to make ecstasy a perfect fit for a night of music and dancing. Unfortunately the side effects of increased body temperature and the greatly increased chance of stroke or heart attack also make ecstasy a recipe for potential death; as it did on January 1, 2010.

Earlier this month, a report filed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that at least 1 death and 18 hospitalizations occurred related to Ecstasy use direct following or during the Los Angeles rave. This brought the attention of L.A, lawmakers, whom began to ask publically why we are allowing events geared toward drug use to occur in City and State owned areas, like the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

With the magnifying glass already trained on the rave scene, another tragedy on Tuesday, June 29th, may drive the industry back underground. This event, known as the Electric Daisy Carnival was a much larger event than the New Year’s event. It took place the weekend of the 25th, had 5 stages and even included rides amidst the many high profile musical acts. More than 185,000 people attended the event.

The rave was supposed to have a 16 year old age minimum but, since the death of a girl who had been at the rave was only 15, it is suspected that an ID policy wasn’t enforced.  Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky stated that in addition to the tragedy mentioned above, over a 100 rave-goers were sent to local hospitals with other drug-related conditions.

With this kind of attention:  two deaths, a hundred hospitalizations, and all of it in public venues, it is suspected that there will be a crackdown of some kind on the practice of allowing raves to be run the way they are currently, or even be allowed at all. 

No matter what happens to the rave scene in Los Angeles, the events themselves really point out a bigger overall problem:  the fact that thousands of young people are still using drugs no matter how dangerous they are.

Here at Sober Living by the Sea want to stress the importance of parents and friends to be on the lookout for drug abuse and to reach out if help is needed. Call us anytime at 866-323-5609 and we can help get you or your loved ones back on the road to recovery.  Here are some helpful links:

Is Your Teen Using Drugs?

Family Counseling

Advice to Families about What to Say to a Drug Using Loved One