Pubdate: Sun, 06 Jul 2014
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2014 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.ottawasun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.ottawasun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: Megan Gillis
Page: 3
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)

PARTY PILLS CAN KILL: COPS

Police Issue Warning After Death Linked to Rave Drug

With summer festivals and school-is-out partying in full swing, 
police probing drug-taking at raves suspected of leaving one woman 
dead and another in a coma, over the Canada Day weekend issued an 
alert Saturday about the perils of popping pills.

"We've ended up with one dead, one in serious medical condition," 
Sgt. Steven Desjourdy said Saturday.

"We're looking at every angle we can look at. Bottom line is whatever 
you ingest - especially if it's an unknown drug-what was it combined 
with? What are you really buying?

"We need to send out a warning that risks are associated with this 
type of consumption."

The 19-year-old woman from outside Ottawa arrived at a local hospital 
but she died hours later. A 20-year-old Ottawa woman was admitted to 
hospital. She was in an induced coma suffering from a liver ailment 
as of Friday, when police revealed the "severe reactions" to 
unidentified pills suspected to be MDMA or Ecstasy taken at large, 
organized events.

Investigators are talking with people who were with the young women 
and looking into their backgrounds and movements but so far "nothing 
concrete" links the drugs the pair took.

Police, who are awaiting key toxicology test results, can't yet say 
if there was a "bad batch," contamination or if other factors like 
dehydration and dancing in the heat or alcohol consumption were involved.

"What we want to know is what did they die of ? "Desjourdy said. 
Sometimes we don't get the answer overnight. You have elements to 
piece together - witnesses, toxicology."

While cops wouldn't say what events the women had attended, the Sun 
learned Friday that at least one of the women was at the Escapade 
Music Festival. It was running at the Rideau Carleton Raceway last 
weekend and on George St. July 1.

A festival organizer told the Sun Friday he's not aware of any 
serious incidents at the event, which draws thousands.

A police source, who has worked the five-year-old event, said 
Saturday police and security guards are on hand and security includes 
bag checks and patdowns.

It's a generally polite and preppy crowd of law-abiding teens and 
20-somethings drawn to the event by top DJs but there's no way to 
keep those drugs out-though the effects can be obvious.

"They're easy to smuggle in anywhere," the officer said.

"If girls line the inside of their bras with pills, that's not going 
to get caught."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom