By LINDSAY PALMER AND RACHEL DAHNEKE
palmer@newsroom.byu.edu
It's a typical Saturday night for a rave as locals transform a Salt Lake City roller hockey rink into a night of music, dancing and drugs.
Ravers gather to dance to techno music spun by DJs, while donning beaded jewelry, colorful wigs and glow sticks.
Drugs permeate the scene as ravers look for a way to heighten the experience.
'I enjoy things more,' said Sarah, 21, about doing drugs at raves. 'You're happy, so everything's better. It guarantees you have a good time.'
Ecstasy, cupid and acid, are common drugs at raves. But according to Utah Attorney General Jan Graham, a drug of high concern in Utah right now is simply called 'G.'
'G,' the street term for GHB, or gamma-hydroxybutyrate, is a clear liquid or a white powder that is added to a beverage. The effects of GHB include euphoria, sedation and intoxication, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
One raver, Thayne, 17, said, 'Don't do it. I advise against it. It made my vision all blurry. It messes people up.'
Kim Henrichsen, ICU nursing supervisor at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, said GHB causes people to enter a state of sleepiness, slows their breathing and can make them unconscious.
'It makes your heart beat really fast and (stuff),' said Steve, 18. 'My friend Mark took 'G' on Christmas day and had to go to the hospital in an ambulance. 'G' parties never last because the ambulances always come.'
Although the FDA issued a recall on GHB in 1990, it has not curbed the accessibility to the drug.
Steve compared GHB to the ubiquitous rave drug, ecstasy.
'It's easy to get. It's easier to get than ecstasy,' Steve said.
Web sites on the Internet describe how to use GHB, where to buy it and even how to make it at home. Proponents of the drug say that it relaxes a person while boosting energy.
While on 'G,' ravers report an increased appreciation for music, dancing and a feeling of drunkenness.
'It's kind of like being drunk and it's empowering,' Sarah said. 'You enjoy the music more and you feel like you have a lot more control.
'The next day you have a come-down, but you're not sick,' she said.
However, many other ravers disagree. Whether by word of mouth or personal experience, the warnings about GHB's dangers have spread.
'Never do it,' said Andrea, 18, of GHB. 'It's too easy to overdose. It's the worst rave drug you can do besides heroine.'
'That stuff is bad! Stay away, it's a date rape drug,' said Laurie, 21, who had just taken two hits of acid and ecstasy.
GHB's partying reputation has seeped into Utah County.
'There was a rape in which it was used,' said Lt. Doug Edwards, public affairs officer for Orem Police. 'But mostly it is used in connection with partying.'
Fliers advertising the raves state, 'No drugs, no alcohol, no violence.'
Although security personnel or police officers frisk ravers at the entrance, drug use is rampant inside.
'You think you catch all of it, but you never know,' said security personnel at the roller hockey rink rave. 'Tonight we caught someone with a bottle of G. If we see a bottle of liquid, we slam it down.'
Chris West, 23, vice-president of BYU's Technoheadz club, which promotes enjoyment of techno music, said drugs will always be a part of raves.
'At raves these days, there's the music and the drugs,' West said. 'The type of kids that go to raves are the type that do drugs. That keeps it prevalent, and part of rave culture.'
See related stories:
Legislature debates bill to take harmful energizing drug off the marker 2/14/2000
Date rape chemicals banned in Utah 2/10/2000