Did lawmakers learn anything from the failures of Prohibition and the crack-house laws? Although the bars were shut down and some crack houses were closed, it didn't really stop anyone from drinking alcohol or smoking crack. Instead, use of intoxicants simply moved into back alleys, private parties and basement speakeasies. The same will happen with raves -- sure, some clubs will shut down, but the drug users will move somewhere else. What the government's approach fails to acknowledge is a fundamental societal axiom: People will always want to get high, regardless of whether there are public places to do it. Why? Because it feels good.

When I was developing "Groove," people I talked to in the rave scene spoke of unshackled joy on the dance floor, a palpable sense of community, emotional release through dancing, and a reprieve from self-consciousness. And that's just through the music. While not all ravers do Ecstasy (a detail entirely missed by the bill's steamrolling generalizations), those who do use it speak of similar experiences: liberating moments of communication and understanding with friends, family and loved ones; insights into personal difficulties; and a sense of peace and well-being regarding their place in the world. Regardless of whether they're real or lasting or even dangerous, if experiences like this are possible through the use of Ecstasy, I don't think anyone needs a dealer to force it on them.

Not that lawmakers would ever admit this. The laughable implausibility of any lawmaker seriously addressing the pleasure of illicit substances underscores just how narrow the range of discourse has become on the subject. Because lawmakers have so thoroughly condemned drug use, it's virtually impossible to suggest more rational solutions to its associated ills without appearing to support criminal activity.

I'm not saying that the Ecstasy problem this bill hopes to address isn't an actual problem. It is, and anyone who thinks otherwise is guilty of the same dangerous simplification as the lawmakers are. As the bill points out, the popular belief about the drug is that it's harmless, but there are credible studies linking Ecstasy use to brain damage, mood disorders and aggressive behavior in some users. And because of the powerful experience it produces in the user, it can lead to addiction and overdoses. Lawmakers also are rightly concerned that cutthroat entrepreneurs are hijacking the rave phenomenon for their own profit while knowingly placing those in attendance in danger.

But what exacerbates these dangers is the mistrust most users have of government sources stating these facts. Worse, the credible sources of drug facts that have emerged from within the scene -- harm-reduction groups like Dancesafe, which use peer education to teach ravers about the dangers of Ecstasy -- are under government pressure to close their doors because they're considered to be tacitly condoning drug use.

If this bill passes, a handful of potentially innocent promoters will likely be sent to prison, a bunch of raves will be shut down in full view of the awaiting media, and the government will proclaim victory. But the apparent success will barely mask the bill's ultimate failure: As it is written, it cannot change people's minds about Ecstasy use because it fails to understand the people it purports to protect. Instead, the measure insults them by calling them criminals for something they not only want to do, but see as a positive aspect in their lives. This only serves to further alienate them from a system they are rebelling against in the first place.

Unfortunately, exploring the question of why people are drawn to drug use and integrating these findings into a more informed bill is a task too subtle for a political system reduced to placating confused constituents with initiatives that ignore the realities of drugs and their potential victims. Until lawmakers can somehow acknowledge the psychological and emotional complexity of Ecstasy use and the culture that surrounds it, they cannot hope to create an effective means of solving any problems associated with the drug, its users or purveyors. Even worse, perhaps, is the erosion of credibility that these legislators sustain with every ham-fisted attempt to address drug use. In promoting such a narrow and misguided sense of morality, these politicians lose what little power they have to keep voters -- particularly young ones -- safe.

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