Rave Should Club Drugs Be Legalized Essay

Rave: Should Club Drugs Be Legalized. Essay, Research Paper

It.s All the Rave: Should Club Drugs Be Legalized.

It.s 7 o.clock on a Saturday morning and while some teenagers are enjoying the extra hours of sleep, many are still bouncing around to the sounds of techno music. Thousands of teenagers and even some adults are stuffed into an old warehouse decorated with black lights, disco balls, and tons of smoke machines. Their hearts are pounding and their pulse is racing at the speed of light, all compliments of designer drugs known as club drugs. Changing the molecular structure of an existing drug or drugs to create a new substance creates designer drugs. Since unlicensed and untrained amateurs create designer drugs in clandestine laboratories, they can be dangerous. Given names such as Ecstasy, Special K, and acid; designer drugs are common words within the walls of the warehouse. The all night dance parties, known as raves, are about the wildest thing going from midnight till dawn . and often beyond. Raves are becoming more popular than ever and designer drugs are becoming even easier to get a hold of. Some believe that legalizing drugs will cut down on the usage by teenagers by reducing the thrill of using them. Legalizing drugs may or may not reduce the usage, but it will play an important part on society.

Ecstasy, also known as X-T-C or E, was known as MDMA in the mid 1980.s and it wasn.t until the early 1990.s that it became known as Ecstasy, X-T-C, or E. Often times the drug can contain other psychoactive substances, commonly amphetamine (speed). LSD (acid) has been found on occasions in a small number of pills. The pills, often resembling Tylenols, average $10-$40 per roll. The high from E, known as a roll, usually last through the night and can produce a sense of well being or sensory distortions. Often times E has caused brain damage in animals. It depletes a very important chemical in the brain, serotonin, which regulates mood, sleeping and eating habits, thinking processes, aggressive behavior, sexual function, and sensitivity to pain. It is probably the action on the serotonin system that gives E its reported properties of heightened sexual experience, tranquility and conviviality that attracts teenagers (Foster 1). .It (ecstasy) makes you feel like sharing everything: cigarettes, water.love, . explains 23 year-old Bianka Lambert, a raver from Ottawa, Canada (Wright 4). Users of Ecstasy at raves can sometimes experience dehydration or exhaustion from the non-stop dancing, and a few users have even died from a heat stroke.

The use of Ecstasy has led to more powerful drugs such as Ketamine, known on the streets as Special K, K, or Vitamin K. A pharmaceutical company first synthesized Ketamine in the 1960.s to be used as an anesthetic for surgeries. Ketamine is mostly used in veterinary offices in order to relax pets before surgery. Special K, or powdered Ketamine, emerged as a recreational drug in the 1970.s and was known as Vitamin K in the underground club scene in the 1980.s. It resurfaced in the 1990.s as Special K in the rave scene. Normally found in an injectable form, it is converted to powder and re-packaged into small Ziploc bags or capsules. This powerful hallucinogen is generally snorted, and is occasionally sprinkled on tobacco or marijuana and smoked. Special K is usually combined with other drugs, such as Ecstasy or cocaine, to enhance the high. The high, called the .K-Hole. can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours and can produce profound hallucinations that include visual distortions and a lost sense of time and identity. Sold by the vials, K runs around $10-$30 and is available widely throughout raves. ..It.s the bomb,. gushes Tom, a sweaty 15-year-old with a struggling goatee. .It makes you feel like this,. he says, rolling his eyes up as if he is staring at his brain. .It.s dreamy. You see the lights, like, bend...(Cloud 1).

The most common form of hallucinogen and the easiest to get at raves, is LSD. Commonly known as .acid., it is sold for $3-$5 a hit and can last up to 12 hours. The high from acid is known as a trip. The effects of the trip are unpredictable and they depend on the amount taken and the user.s personality at the time the acid is dropped. The user.s surroundings also play an important role in the effects of the acid. Usually, the user begins to feel the first effects from the acid 30 minutes after taken. After 90 minutes the trip is in full effect. The physical effects of the drug include dilated pupils, muscle tightness, higher body temperature, increases heart rate and blood pressure, sw0eating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth, and tremors. A person.s sensations and feelings change much more dramatically than the physical signs. The user may feel several different moods at once or may swing from one mood to another very rapidly. If taken at a high enough dosage the drug produces delusions and visual hallucinations and the user.s sense of time and self change. Sensations may seem cross over, giving the user the feeling of hearing colors and seeing sounds. Many users say the drug causes boundaries between the self and other to disappear, also known as melting. These changes can be frightening and can cause extreme panic. Once the trip is over, a person may still feel confused and somewhat panicked. Many LSD users experience flashbacks of the drug.s effect on the body. A flashback can