Pubdate: Fri, 05 May 2000 Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON) Copyright: 2000, Canoe Limited Partnership. Contact: 333 King St. E., Toronto, Ontario M5A 3X5 Canada Fax: (416) 947-3228 Website: http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoSun/ Forum: http://www.canoe.ca/Chat/newsgroups.html Author: Sarah Green INQUEST: ECSTASY AGONY Twelve years after her son's drug-related death, it saddens Sandra Hayward to know young people are still risking their lives in pursuit of a good time. The death of Benji Hayward, 14, who drowned in Lake Ontario May 13, 1988, after taking two hits of LSD at a Pink Floyd concert at Exhibition Stadium, sparked a coroner's inquest and cries for an all-out war on drugs in the city. Nearly 12 years to the day of Benji's death, a coroner's inquest opens Monday into last October's death of Allan Ho, 20, a Ryerson student who collapsed after taking the drug Ecstasy at a rave party. While the inquest will examine the circumstances of Ho's death, the two-week probe will also shine the broader spotlight on all-night rave parties where drugs are rampant. "I don't know how far we've come in 12 years," Hayward said. "(Young people) just take a chance. They just don't realize what the outcome can be. They always think it's the other guy. I think they feel they're invincible." "Parents really have to be ever-vigilant, ever-careful ... Obviously (Benji) was a risk-taker and he took the ultimate risk," Hayward said. With a new generation, there are new drugs with the same risks. There were nine Ecstasy-related deaths in Ontario last year. In 1998, there was one and none in 1997. Ontario deputy chief coroner Dr. Jim Cairns said the Ho inquest will be a dose of reality against false beliefs that Ecstasy -- with "cosy little names" like Woodpecker and Pinocchio -- is safe and raves billed as alcohol-free are risk-free. Ho's death was chosen to spotlight issues surrounding raves because his was a "pure Ecstasy death" with no other drugs involved and the event was an unlicensed one, Cairns said. "(The Hayward inquest) obviously didn't stop drugs. It educated the public on, 'Do you know where your children are? Don't be so naive,' " he said. "These so-called love-ins (raves) ... have dangers to them." Meanwhile, Councillor Olivia Chow says cancelling a planned Halloween rave at the city-owned Exhibition Place grounds will only drive teens into the arms of unscrupulous operators. "The chief and the mayor both agreed we don't want to drive raves underground," said Chow, a member of the police services board. "But if we try to ban them, that's exactly what we're going to do." Lastman said Ho's death is exactly why he doesn't want anything to do with the massive dance parties. "I don't want something like that to happen at a city rave," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Greg