High energy, all-night dance parties and clubs known as "raves,"
which feature dance music with a fast, pounding beat and choreographed
laser programs, have become increasingly popular over the last decade,
particularly among teenagers and young adults. Beginning as an underground
movement in Europe, raves have evolved into a highly organized,
commercialized, worldwide party culture. Rave parties and clubs are now
found throughout the United States and in countries around the world.
Raves are held either in permanent dance clubs or at temporary venues set
up for a single weekend event in abandoned warehouses, open fields, or
empty buildings.
Attendance can range from 30 "ravers" in a small club to tens
of thousands in a sports stadium or open field. While techno music and
light shows are essential to raves, drugs such as
MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), ketamine, GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate),
Rohypnol, and LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), have become an
integral component of the rave culture.
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Raves evolved from 1980s dance parties, aided by the emergence of
European techno music and American house music. (See Rave
Music.) European clubs that sponsored raves in the 1980s tried to
limit the exposure of attendees to the public and to law enforcement.
Raves were secretive, after-hours, private dance parties and were
often held in gay clubs where attendance was restricted to invitees or
friends of invitees. The site of the party was often kept confidential,
and invitees usually were not told the location of the host club until the
night of the party. Because of the restricted access and the secrecy
surrounding the locations, the growing rave culture was often described as
an "underground" movement.
By the mid-1980s, rave parties overseas had developed such a following
among youths and young adults that by 1987, London raves had outgrown most
dance clubs. It then became common to hold all-night raves--which drew
thousands of people--in large, open fields on the outskirts of the city.
As the movement continued to grow in the late 1980s, the first rave
parties emerged in U.S. cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Rave parties and clubs were present in most metropolitan areas of the
United States by the early 1990s. Teenagers overtook the traditional young
adult ravers and a new rave culture emerged; events became highly
promoted, heavily commercialized, and less secretive. Many new U.S. rave
promoters were career criminals who recognized the profitability of
organizing events tailored to teens. Capitalizing on the growing
popularity of raves, specialized industries were developed to market
clothes, toys, drugs, and music. Private clubs and secret locations were
replaced by stadium venues with off-duty police security.
By the late 1990s, raves in the United States had become so
commercialized that events were little more than an exploitation of
American youth. Today's raves are characterized by high entrance fees,
extensive drug use, exorbitantly priced bottled water, very dark and often
dangerously overcrowded dance floors, and "chill rooms," where
teenage ravers go to cool down and often engage in open sexual activity.
Moreover, many club owners and promoters appear to promote the use of
drugs--especially MDMA. They provide bottled water and sports drinks to
manage hyperthermia and dehydration; pacifiers to prevent involuntary
teeth clenching; and menthol nasal inhalers, chemical lights, and neon
glow sticks to enhance the effects of MDMA. In addition, rave promoters
often print flyers featuring prominent and repeated use of the letters
"E" and "X" (E and X are MDMA monikers) or the word
"rollin'" (refers to an MDMA high), surreptitiously promoting
MDMA use along with the rave.
The increasing notoriety of raves has caused the rave culture to spread
from major metropolitan areas to more rural or conservative locations.
Rave parties are emerging in areas of Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan,
Minnesota, and Wisconsin that are not always prepared to manage unexpected
crowds of teenagers.
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Rave flyers and posters promote
upcoming events. Information on the flyer usually is limited to
the date, city, and theme of the event. Some flyers also include
the name of the rave promoter, the DJs scheduled to play, and a
phone number to call for more information. |
Rave music evolved from 1980s techno, house, and New York garage
music. The mix of these different styles of dance music helped
mold the modern version of electronic rave music. Today, rave
music falls into several categories: ambient, techno, trance,
progressive trance, cybertrance, house, jungle, drum `n' bass,
techstep, garage, and big beat.
Although a casual listener may not be able to distinguish
between techno and trance, ravers know the music well, and several
DJs and bands--unfamiliar to most people--are internationally
famous within the rave community. Today's rave DJs are skilled
stage performers and are considered artists much like musicians.
They mix electronic sounds, beats, and rhythms, often
synchronizing the music to a laser program. Popular DJs sell their
music and perform live at the largest rave parties and clubs
around the world. Rave organizers announce the appearance of
famous DJs on their flyers and on the Internet to promote upcoming
raves. |
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Despite the commercialization of raves through the 1990s, many promoters
have preserved the tradition of rave location secrecy, more as a novelty
than as a necessity. In this tradition, raves are rarely promoted in open
media but are advertised on flyers found only at record stores and
clothing shops, at other rave parties and clubs, and on rave Internet
sites. The flyers or Internet advertisements typically provide only the
name of the city where the rave will be held and a phone number for
additional information.
The location of the rave often is given to the caller over the
telephone, but many promoters further maintain secrecy by providing only a
location, called a "map point," where ravers go the night of the
rave. At the map point, ravers are told the actual location of the rave.
The map point is usually a record or clothing store within a 20-minute
drive of the rave.
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| Drugs like MDMA, ketamine, GHB, Rohypnol, and
LSD--known collectively as "club drugs"--are an integral
part of the rave culture. Many ravers use club drugs and advocate
their use, wrongly believing that they are not harmful if they are
used "responsibly" and their effects are managed
properly. Many of the commercially designed rave clothes display
pro-drug messages, and rave posters and flyers often promote drug
use.
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DAWN ED Club Drug Mentions
1994-1999
 GHB
 MDMA
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| Members of private drug education and
drug testing organizations, called "harm reduction
organizations," have appeared at raves over the past 10 years.
They attend rave events to test samples of illegal drugs so they can
inform ravers of purity levels. Members of these organizations
believe that they help reduce the number of overdoses by educating
users on the physical effects of specific drugs. Conversely, many
law enforcement agencies believe that the practices of harm
reduction organizations encourage drug use, and they support their
position with national statistics that show an increase in club drug
overdoses as harm reduction organizations have become more
active.
Club drug use accounts for increasing numbers of drug overdoses
and emergency room visits. According to the Drug Abuse Warning
Network (DAWN), the number of emergency department (ED) mentions for
MDMA and GHB, often associated with the crime of drug-facilitated
rape, more than doubled between 1998 and 1999. (See DAWN
chart.) DAWN data for 1999 further indicate that young people
are the primary users of MDMA and GHB. For instance, whereas 29
percent of all DAWN ED cases involved patients aged 25 and under, at
least 80 percent of ketamine, LSD, MDMA, and Rohypnol ED mentions
and 59 percent of GHB ED mentions were aged 25 and under. |
MDMA is unquestionably the most popular of the club drugs, and evidence
of MDMA use by teenagers can be seen at most rave parties. Ketamine and
GHB also are used at raves, as is Rohypnol, although to a lesser extent. A
recent resurgence in the availability and use of some hallucinogens--LSD,
PCP (phencyclidine), psilocybin, and peyote or mescaline --has also been
noted at raves and dance clubs and may necessitate their inclusion in the
club drug category. Inhalants like nitrous oxide are sometimes found at
rave events; nitrous oxide is sold in gas-filled balloons called
"whippets" for $5-$10.
Rampant use of club drugs at raves may be leading to the use of other
and highly addictive drugs by youths. There have been widespread reports
of increasing availability and use of Asian methamphetamine tablets
(frequently referred to as "yaba") at California raves and
nightclubs. Heroin is being encountered more frequently at raves and clubs
in large metropolitan areas, especially in the eastern United States. A
wider variety of visually appealing and easy-to-administer forms of MDMA,
LSD, heroin, and combination tablets are also found at raves and on
college campuses.
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| Many young ravers wear distinctive clothing and carry
paraphernalia commonly associated with club drug use and the rave
culture. Ravers dress for comfort. They usually wear lightweight,
loose-fitting clothes and dress in layers, allowing them to remove
clothing as they become overheated from dancing for hours. Many wear
loose shorts or very wide-legged or baggy pants. Ravers wear
T-shirts, bikini tops, tank tops, tube tops, and open-back halter
tops to help keep cool. After hours of dancing and often after using
MDMA--which elevates body temperature--many ravers have removed most
of their clothing. Some ravers, especially females, wear costumes to
rave events, dressing as princesses, cartoon characters, or other
fantasy figures that match the theme of the rave (e.g., futuristic,
space, mystic). |
Candy necklaces may disguise MDMA. |
Ravers often wear bright accessories like bracelets, necklaces, and
earrings made of either plastic beads or pill-shaped sugar candies. MDMA
users sometimes use these accessories to disguise their drugs, stringing
MDMA tablets mixed with the candies. Many ravers chew on baby pacifiers or
lollipops to offset the effects of involuntary teeth grinding caused by
MDMA. Pacifiers are worn around the user's neck, often on plastic beaded
necklaces.
| Many people bring various items to rave events to
enhance the effects of MDMA. Ravers use bright chemical lights and
flashing lights to heighten the hallucinogenic properties of MDMA
and the visual distortions brought on by its use. Chemical glow
sticks, bracelets, and necklaces are commonly worn at raves and
waved in the eyes of MDMA users for visual stimulus. Ravers often
insert flashing red lights in their belly buttons (held in place
with a mild adhesive) and pin blinking lights in the shape of
hearts, stars, and animals to their clothing to provide additional
visual stimulation to MDMA users. Ravers that use MDMA often wear
painter's masks with menthol vapor rub applied to the inside of the
mask. MDMA users believe that by inhaling the menthol fumes, they
are enhancing the effects of the drug. They may be adding to their
risk of hyperthermia, however, because the fumes cause eyes and
nasal passages to dry out. |
Beaded necklace with pacifier. |
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| In the late 1990s, many
communities began attempts to reduce the number of raves in their
areas and to curb the use of club drugs. Several cities passed new
ordinances designed to regulate rave activity, while others began
enforcing existing laws that helped authorities monitor raves more
closely.
Cities such as Chicago, Denver, Gainesville, Hartford, Milwaukee,
and New York took deliberate steps to combat raves. These cities
reduced rave activity through enforcement of juvenile curfews, fire
codes, health and safety ordinances, liquor laws, and licensing
requirements for large public gatherings. Many communities also
began requiring rave promoters to retain, at the promoters' expense,
onsite ambulance and emergency medical services and uniformed police
security for large rave events. Because of these measures, many rave
promoters and organizers moved their operations to other
areas. |
21 U.S.C. § 856
§ 856 Establishment of
Manufacturing Operations
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Perhaps the most successful anti-rave initiative was "Operation
Rave Review," which was initiated in January 2000 in New Orleans.
Following the overdose death of a 17-year-old girl at a rave party in
1998, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) assessed the extent of
rave activity in the New Orleans area. The assessment indicated an
apparent correlation between rave activity and club drug overdoses
resulting in emergency room visits. For example, in a 2-year period, 52
raves were held at the New Orleans State Palace Theater, during which time
approximately 400 teenagers overdosed and were transported to local
emergency rooms.
Following this assessment, the DEA, New Orleans Police Department, and
U.S. Attorney's Office developed a methodology for the potential
prosecution of rave promoters who allowed open, unabated drug use at the
events. They used 21 U.S.C. § 856 as a basis to investigate rave
promoters and to gather evidence that the promoters knowingly and
intentionally allowed the distribution and use of numerous controlled
substances during rave events. (See statute.) As
a result of this investigation, several rave promoters were arrested and
the largest rave operation in New Orleans was closed.
Since the completion of Operation Rave Review, the number of overdoses
and emergency room visits caused by club drug use has dropped 90 percent,
and MDMA overdoses have been eliminated, according to the DEA and New
Orleans hospital officials. The law enforcement agencies that participated
in Operation Rave Review developed a five-step process that might be
employed effectively in other areas experiencing high levels of rave
activity, club drug overdoses, and related emergency room visits. The
process employed consisted of the following steps:
1. Identify rave promoters. Potential subjects for
investigation included all parties responsible for managing the
production and promotion of the raves, including the owners of the
property where the event was held.
2. Compile emergency medical service (EMS) records. Records of
medical transports from the rave venue to local emergency rooms were
collected. Retrieval of medical records sometimes required grand jury or
administrative subpoenas or court orders.
3. Conduct undercover operations inside the venue during rave
events. Undercover investigators purchased paraphernalia (chemical
light sticks, pacifiers, and drug test kits) at the venue and filmed
ravers using drugs and using the paraphernalia to enhance or manage the
effects of the drugs. Undercover investigators filmed drug purchases by
undercover officers who purchased drugs from as many different people as
possible and as quickly as possible to clearly demonstrate the
availability of drugs at the venue. Undercover investigators filmed the
actions or inaction of security personnel hired by the rave promoter,
and they also filmed patrons being treated or transported to local
emergency rooms.
4. Place an undercover officer. Undercover agents or officers
posed as job applicants for security positions and obtained interviews
with the rave promoter. The undercover officers asked for the promoter's
general expectations of security personnel and specific expectations of
security personnel observing drug use or distribution.
5. Execute search warrants. Search warrants were executed at
the rave venue, at offsite offices, and at the home of the rave
promoter. Officers and agents seized all documents and items relating to
the ownership, advertisement, promotion, and operation of the rave
venue, including but not limited to purchase orders for rave
paraphernalia, water, and other stock. Officers and agents also seized
employment records identifying security personnel and any memoranda
detailing their responsibilities, correspondence or contracts with EMS
services, and financial records that detailed costs and profits
associated with raves.
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Raves have developed over the past decade from a small subculture
to the highly commercialized and widespread exploitation of young people
by large-scale rave promoters. The growing awareness of the nature of rave
activity and the effects of club drug use have moved many communities to
action. In order to curtail rave activity, communities and law enforcement
agencies are enforcing existing fire codes, health and safety ordinances,
and liquor laws, and are establishing juvenile curfews and licensing
requirements for large public gatherings. They are requiring rave
promoters and club owners to pay for building or liquor licenses, medical
services, and security for their events, all in an effort to force rave
promoters to move or cease their operations.
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- Associated Press
- Drug Enforcement Administration,
- New Orleans Field Division
- The Gainesville Sun
- The Hartford Courant
- Jordan, Joel T., Summer Forest Hoeckel, and Jason A. Jordan. Searching
for the Perfect Beat: Flyer Designs of the American Rave Scene.
New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2000
- Mock, SGT. James P. (Ret.). "The Rave Culture, Ravers &
Their Drugs: An Overview." Training Bulletin
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Drug
Abuse Warning Network
Opening photo NDIC, background ŠImages 4
Communication
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National Drug Intelligence Center
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Johnstown, PA 15901-1622
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