MISSION
"Promoting health and safety within the San Diego rave and nightclub community."

We do this by staffing booths at local area raves and clubs. At our booth you will find: cards containing fact-based health and safety information pertaining to some of the more commonly used recreational drugs, an Ecstasy adulterant screening kit, ear plugs and hearing loss info, free condoms and safe sex info, a local San Diego resource guide for those in crisis, and a friendly, non-judgmental attitude from trained volunteers. Our peer-based educational programs are based on two fundamental methodologies: harm reduction and popular education.

SD DanceSafe neither condemns nor condones the use of any drug. Rather, we attempt to reduce drug-related harm by providing factual information so the user can make the decision that's right for them.

HISTORY
SD DanceSafe got its start as SD RaveSmart in June, 2000. Six friends in the local rave community got together and decided that they wanted to proactively help their community be healthy and safe when attending raves and clubs. We contacted the Los Angeles chapter (DanceSafe SoCal), as well as the National office of DanceSafe (then located in Oakland), got some info cards and a testing kit, learned what to say and how to say it, did extensive drug research, learned how to test pills, and we were off!

We participated in our first party in July, 2000 put on by Hardbeat Productions (thanks Otto!). We were so stoked to finally have a chance to put all our hard work to the test, and the results were incredible. We were amazingly well-received by the ravers at that party. There was a constant circle of people around the booth. We tested over 30 different pills at that party, over 50 total. We had pills vary with reactions to the marquis reagent test; from no reaction, to an Ecstasy-like substance, to speed... we even had one test positive for 2cb (a rarity). Since then, the San Diego rave and club community (venue owners, promoters, dj's and dancers) has opened their hearts and minds to us, encouraging us in our mission to help keep them healthy and safe.

On October 7, 2000, while Emanuel Sferios (founder and the former Executive Director of DanceSafe) was in San Diego to participate in our Promoter's Workshop, we received our DanceSafe chapterhood. And, that's how SD DanceSafe was born.

OUTREACH
Over the last year, our work has taken on a broader scope, especially with community outreach. Specifically, we've additionally targeted our truthful, peer-based drug education to youth who may not be active in the rave community. Melissa has given popular education based presentations to approximately 200 high school students (at various area high schools), health students at Mesa College, dorm residents at both UCSD and SDSU; as well as doing interviews with reporters from 3 local high school newspapers, the UCSD Guardian, and the San Diego Union-Tribune.

ADULTERANT SCREENING
Otherwise known as "pill testing", this public service has been largely misrepresented as encouraging drug use. PMA, DXM, and speed are three of the most common adulterants currently on the Ecstasy black market. Other adulterants include (but are not limited to): ketamine, caffeine, ephedrine, BZP, pseudoephedrine,and others. SD DanceSafe recognizes that if someone walks into a party with a pill in his/her pocket, then they're planning on taking THAT pill THAT night. Providing free access to adulterant screening helps provide the user with information about their pill that they did not have before, and will enable them to make an informed choice to take, or not take it.

After each and every positive test result for an Ecstasy-like substance, SD DanceSafe volunteers say the following:

"Your pill tested positive for an Ecstasy-like substance. This doesn't mean your pill is pure, there could be other stuff in it. It doesn't mean your pill is safe, all drug use has inherent risks. And, it doesn't tell how much Ecstasy is in your pill, there could be a little or a lot. But it does contain an Ecstasy-like substance."

The test SD DanceSafe uses to conduct on-site adulterant screening consists of a chemical substance called "marquis reagent" which changes color in the presence of certain drugs. By placing a drop of the chemical on a small scraping of the pill in question, we can determine if the pill actually contains an Ecstasy-like substance (MDMA, MDA, MDE).

• It can tell if a pill you have contains at least some ecstasy-like substance.
• It can tell if a pill you have is completely fake, meaning one that contains no ecstasy-like substance at all.
• It can tell if a pill you have contains only speed, DXM, or 2cb.

• It cannot tell how pure your pill is.
• It cannot tell how much ecstasy is in your pill.
• It cannot tell which one of the ecstasy-like compounds is in your pill. It might be MDMA, MDA or MDE, or perhaps even a combination.
• It cannot tell you your pill is safe. All drug use has inherent risks.

For more information on on-site adulterant screening, please click here. Also, if you are interested in obtaining an Ecstasy adulterant screening kit, they are available for a $20 donation to SD DanceSafe. For more information email: sandiego@dancesafe.org.

THANK YOU
We at SD DanceSafe recognize that it is the continued support from our local rave and club community that keeps us going. And, we are very grateful to all the venue owners, promoters, dj's and dancers who so generously support our harm reduction efforts. Thanks for visiting our site, we hope you get some good information from it. For more info on DanceSafe, please visit: www.dancesafe.org.

CONTACT INFO

Sarah Steer, Director
sandiego@dancesafe.org

Charles Vickers, Event Coordinator
For questions about volunteer training or events, or to invite SD DanceSafe to your next event, click here.

Chris McCampbell, Secretary/Webmaster
For questions or comments concerning the SD DanceSafe web site, contact sandiego@dancesafe.org.

All Content Copyright 2003 San Diego Dancesafe