Two people died while four others became critically ill Sept. 1 in New York at the Electric Zoo music festival. The deaths and illnesses were consistent with the use of the drug MDMA, also called Molly or ecstasy, according to the New York Times. The last day of the event was cancelled by its organizers to prevent further deaths from drug use.
Our lives can be derailed by the careless, the negligent or the malicious among us wherever we go. From the drunk driver to the speeding texter or the school shooter, danger surrounds us. There is no reason to add to the list of dangers by using recreational pharmaceutical drugs. These drugs are manufactured in makeshift labs by persons who may not be qualified chemists – and for what purpose? To lose ourselves, to dance longer or to feel freer in the rhythms of the night?
Not if there’s a chance we won’t see the dawn’s early light.
The manufacturers of these drugs are interested in one thing above all else, getting paid. I doubt they wish any of their customers harm, as that would be bad for business. Yet the fact remains those people who over the past two decades who trusted in the illicit powders or pills for an enhanced good time have paid the ultimate price.
Sadly, the repercussions are far-reaching. The deaths of those who sought a better time through chemical means not only affected the family and friends who will live with their tragic loss, but also the festivals and fellow fans who will have to deal with the consequences. These deaths may result in high ticket prices for greater medical presence on site, more invasive security procedures as well as restrictions on what what we can enjoy at these events.
In the end, no group, from security to paramedics to event organizers can safeguard a crowd against its own actions. As usual, in life it is up to each of us to encourage one another to make sensible choices and not risk our lives needlessly by trusting in a drug from an unknown source to make up for life’s perceived shortcomings.