m1lan´s blOg

"Britain is the drug capital of Europe" was a headline in The Independent on November 3, 1997. It is the absolute truth that more amphetamine, ecstasy, LSD, heroin, cocaine and other substances are used in Britain than anywhere else in the European Union, and the rave culture is said to have helped in ‘making drug-taking more acceptable among young people’. The death of Leah Betts, an average teenager who died in November 1995 after taking one ecstasy pill for the first time ever, created a lot of discussion. The total drug situation came into light, and there was a debate in the House of Commons on the subject of ecstasy. Later, even a bill which would give local authorities the power to immediately shut down a club if the police suspect drugs are being taken on or near the premises was passed and eventually became the Public Entertainments Licences (Drug Misuse) Act 1997. An estimated one million (young) people take ecstasy every weekend to heighten their highs on the dance floor, and it is considered fairly normal, and as one clubber put it, "...it’s an altered state a lot of people want to achieve because normal life is so mundane and boring. Drugs can give a far more exciting and interesting experience." Though drugs are not permitted in any club, and bouncers do check everyone before letting them in, somehow they still find their ways into people’s bodies. Chemical substances are also present in other scenes, not just techno music. Using drugs is not safe. Narcotics are addictive and have long-term damaging effects, some more than others, and plus, you never know if ‘the stuff is pure’ or not. Herbal drugs came into the picture in the summer of 1997. They are made up of ingredients that are commonly sold—though admittedly not for pharmaceutical purposes—and they imitate the effects of ‘real drugs’ without the comedown. They do work, are less risky and easier to get, and their popularity is increasing. Not everyone needs drugs to have a good time. Some people get their highs from the music, others trust traditional alcohol. The strong pub culture the British have is partly present in the clubs too, and lately there has been a trend back to beer-drinking due to the uncertainty of the pureness of the narcotics. New alternatives for clubbing have sprung up, and bars are the next logical step in the present counter-culture stealing the unsuspecting masses.