Dialogue: Ecstasy not big killer despite the headlines

By ELISABETH EASTHER

I think that I might take Ecstasy this Easter weekend. At least if I wasn't working, I could. I could also go skating, mountain biking or surfing.

Those last three activities are all comparatively dangerous, and traditionally the Easter weekend claims innocent lives.

It is likely, though, in terms of harm minimisation, that Ecstasy is probably one of the least dangerous things I could do and, if you believe everything you hear, it would probably be the most fun.

When I read that drugs had caused another death, the third since 1998, I thought, "Wow, those drugs must be safe; safer than swimming on a west coast beach, safer than flying in light aeroplanes and safer than drying your hair in the bath."

I get annoyed by such headlines as "Ecstasy claims third New Zealand victim." Granted, it is a tragedy when somebody dies young, but if last week's death is only New Zealand's third fatality, Ecstasy is not a major killer.

And in the most recent case, the man didn't die of the drug. According to initial toxicology reports, he died from drinking a large volume of water. If more effort were put into drug education, perhaps even rare deaths like this could be avoided.

In relation to the latest death, Nelson police Sergeant Stu Koefoed said he hoped that it would be a warning to others about the dangers of illegal drugs.

I would have thought that the Nelson police were far more often searching for lost hunters or dazed and confused trampers. When there is a fatality or accident in the great outdoors, is that a warning to all other trampers not to set foot in bush? Or is it a reminder to people to take more care when doing a potentially perilous thing?

Sergeant Koefoed went on to say that there were no guarantees and that people who took Ecstasy were playing Russian roulette - an emotive analogy.

I know he was just saying what he was supposed to say, but if law enforcers took a more enlightened approach to drugs, it would reduce the already minimal harm. How about accessible facilities for people to test the substances they are taking?

I remember when a girl died in Auckland several years ago, possibly the victim of some bad Ecstasy. It was the most evil thing that had hit the news - "Killer drug shocks world."

Some years later, a young man from Whangarei dies at a dance party on Pakatoa Island and, since then, a man from Nelson has drunk way too much water.

Three deaths. That's hardly an epidemic. Yes, it is tragic when anybody dies accidentally but more people become sick or die each year hyperventilating while blowing up balloons and inflatable pool furniture. I say ban the balloon.

Why are there never any stories headed "Good time had by all on drugs"? A party held recently in Auckland was a great success. The responsible hosts provided food and non-alcoholic beverages to the partygoers, of whom over half were on drugs. Revellers, to the outsider, may have been talking a little too quickly or dancing a little too loudly. One girl was fascinated with the fabric of her - wow - sparkly dress, and everyone agreed they all had a fabulous night. Believe me, this happens sometimes.

I have long been a supporter of responsible drug use, better education and healthier attitudes, instead of the contrived hysteria generated by people with too much time on their hands.

Their scaremongering is vindicated on the rare occasion that something does go wrong, yet it is prohibition that contributes to the lack of control and safety.

I'm not advocating that everybody, or indeed anybody, take drugs. The fact is they just do. And I don't think that's a defeatist attitude, it's just realistic. People drive cars despite the danger. It's a relative thing.

The third death attributable to Ecstasy will no doubt see a surge in stories, letters and comments devoted to the dangers of drugs. It's a knee-jerk response for some people - drugs equals bad.

I wonder if some campaigners who crusade against drugs do so on the strength of one bad trip or because they have an inherent, almost allergic, reaction to the notion of recreational drug use. Those people should not do drugs.

One thing is for sure: I would rather be a paramedic at a dance party than an ambulance officer picking up the pieces on our roads over the Easter weekend.