recommended: DYING TO DANCE

[Chip (OP)]

source: http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2016/02/15/4404734.htm

recommended

DYING TO DANCE:

watch the video at http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2016/02/15/4404734.htm

By Caro Meldrum-Hanna and Jaya Balendra

Monday 15 February 2016


Dying to Dance

"We're in the 21st Century. If the Government thinks that people are going to stop taking drugs, they're kidding themselves." Drug User

In this provocative Four Corners story, Gold Walkley award-winning reporter Caro Meldrum-Hanna goes inside Australia's dance party drug scene.

"It's cheaper than alcohol. One pill's 20 bucks and it'll last you four hours." Drug User

They could be your friends, your workmates, your children.

"People are like 'it's so dangerous you don't know what you're taking', and well actually, we're taking it anyway." Drug User

They're the voices of young Australians, speaking candidly about taking so-called "party drugs" and they're more common than you would guess. Australians are the highest users of ecstasy and its main chemical component MDMA, per capita, in the world.

And despite the feel good nickname, "party drugs" can kill. Seven young Australians have died in the space of a year, hospital admissions are on the rise and concerns are growing about the increasing purity of the drugs. But this isn't deterring them.

"Like sometimes you have a car crash but you still drive your car." Drug User

With billions spent on enforcing anti-drug laws, some of Australia's most eminent medical, legal and policing minds are speaking out and saying the "war on drugs" is failing.

"This law enforcement effort is not only not effective but is actually harmful. The focus on drug law enforcement has been an expensive way of achieving failure." Drug Law Reform Expert

"We should be doing everything we can to ensure that if kids do experiment in this way when they're young, they're going to survive the experience." Former Senior Police Officer

DYING TO DANCE, reported by Caro Meldrum-Hanna and presented by Sarah Ferguson, goes to air on Monday 15th February at 8.30pm EDT. It is replayed on Tuesday 16th at 10.00am and Wednesday 17th at 11pm. It can also be seen on ABC News 24 on Saturday at 8.00pm, ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners.

[Jega]

They're the voices of young Australians, speaking candidly about taking so-called "party drugs" and they're more common than you would guess. Australians are the highest users of ecstasy and its main chemical component MDMA, per capita, in the world.

I never knew that!

So are we saying all of these MDMA users are killing themselves from drinking too much water or what?

[Wildcat]

There is such a thing as fatal water overdose.

Going overboard in attempt to rehydrate is also common amongst endurance athletes.  Known as hyponatremia or dilution of the blood caused by drinking too much water.
Hyponatremia- "insufficient salt in the blood", quantitively speaking it means having a blood sodium concentration below 135 millimoles per liter or approx. 0.4 ounces per gallon, the normal concentration is somewhere between 135-145 per millimoles per liter.

Symptoms of "hyponatremia" are fatigue, headache,  nausea, vomiting, frequent urination, disorientation.  Your kidneys control the amount of water, salts, and other solutes leaving the body
by sieving blood through their millions of twisted tubules.

When a person drinks too much water in a short period of time, the kidneys cannot flush it out fast enough and the blood becomes water-logged, drawn to regions where the concentration
of salt n other dissolved substances is higher,, excess water leaves the blood ad enters the cells, which swell like balloons to accommodate it-most cells have room to stretch-but this is not the case for neurons-brain cells are packed tight inside a rigid bony cage, the skull, they have to share thi space with blood n cerebrospinal flui-there is zero room to expand and swell.

The result is brain edema(swelling) causing seizures, coma, respiratory arrest, brain stem herniation, and death.

[Chip (OP)]

I never knew that!

So are we saying all of these MDMA users are killing themselves from drinking too much water or what?

it's either high dose MDMA or unknown compounds in the pill. also PMA.

can you view the video ?

[Zoops]

Just watched the documentary.

Couple observations: Why is it that whenever any reportage on drugs is done, there is always, without exception (redundant, I know), some sort of mis-labelling or mis-identifying of drugs? For example, throughout this report, the woman referred to Australia's problem with "ecstasy and MDMA" as if they were two different things. Other than that, it was pretty good.

Also, are all Australian dudes so pumped up? I mean these dudes all looked like goddamn football players.

The former director of Australian Federal Police said: "Stralia's drug puh-lisee is a filed experimint." hahaha say it like that and you got the accent!

I don't think the Australian government should be expected to, as the one guy said, "fund drug dealers' enterprise with drug testing at festivals." I agree with that, because that presents obvious contradictions and they would be working against themselves if that were done. Instead, legalization needs to be the paradigm they are working towards. Under a drug legalization regime, it would be criminal to sell mislabeled drug products, so that would take care of the problem pretty much right then and there.

At least they could operate under a policy of just confiscating illegal drugs if they are found among festival goers, instead of criminal charges.

...and the one guy who was an ecstasy user said, "they should go after the dealers instead of the users." WTF? Why would he want them to do that?

Good post, Chipper. I'd love to visit down there, but they won't even let me in the country. Ever. I think the ban is for life if you're a convicted felon in your home country? That means I'd never be allowed to set foot in Australia, right?

[Chip (OP)]

well you might as long as you declare your crime.

if deemed harmless enough then you might get in.

I think that's how it works.

[Zoops]

I get worried about the younger generation in Australia, getting so used to taking a drug that for all intents and purposes, should be a religious sacrament. I've done a large dose of E um, 2 times, 3 if you count the re-dose the next morning for the first one. Was capsules containing about 250mg the first time, then straight powder the next. Took 1/6 gram the second occasion. I don't count the two or three other times I've gotten either severely stepped on or straight bunk shit.

I've told this story before on ophile, but the first time I ever dosed E, it was that large dose in a capsule. About an hour after it kicked in, I was skipping around the house with my stereo on full blast pumping some Fred Gianelli. (Parents were away on vacation at Nags Head, NC). Then, I found myself out in the front yard, in boxer shorts, looking at the rising sun. It was in August, at about 6am. The next thing I know, the guy next door is going out to his car to go to work (work - huh!). He saw me standing there looking all crazy in my underwear and asked, "Zoops, are you o.k.?" I came to my senses enough to mutter, "yeah, I'm fine," and run back into the house.

That first occasion was by myself, and all the company I had was my cat (RIP, Grady #1). I think she could tell I was a bit out of my head, because she said so. Then asked for some food and for me to pet her, to which I obliged.

Next occasion was at an apartment party my roomates and I hosted at Virginia Tech. I had a great time. Many kegs of Milwaukee's Best beer and some acid was going around too. Cats figured prominently in that E trip as well. My gf's female cat was giving birth in the apartment downstairs from mine, where the party was taking place. I remember tripping out on the little baby cats with their eyes still shut.

But these kids dosing E every damn weekend? They are getting all blasé about it and I don't think that's too cool. Course I did the same thing with acid in college, so I guess I understand it. Many people said that acid should be a spiritual sacrament back in the 60's.

Can anyone get good acid anymore?