Cape Town - A Facebook page is attempting to keep drug users and party-goers abreast of new drugs on the streets of Cape Town and drugs that may have dangerous or deadly side effects.
The page claims to be modelled after RaveSafe.org.za, a website that was created in 1993 by and for ravers who “believe that each individual has the right to accurate and honest information about drugs and their effects”.
The site shares general information about issues related to substance abuse in party scenes, such as lethal drug combinations and how to keep your friends safe, but it also shares warnings about specific substances that are on the streets.
The site is specific to South Africa but has a page devoted to other harm-reduction groups around the world and a resource page for how visitors can start their own branch of the site.
The last updates on the RaveSafe site were in 2006, but the Facebook page stays more up to date, with posts appearing on almost a monthly basis, the latest in April. Updates are made easier as people can post questions and reports on the page.
The information section of the Facebook page explicitly states: “This group does not advocate for or promote the use of any illegal substances.”
The page mainly includes posts about party drugs like MDMA and ecstasy, which became popular in nightclubs and party scenes in the 1980s and 1990s.
Posts range from photos and reports about new strains of drugs that are being sold, to news articles about dangerous substances across the world, and often serve as warnings to the group’s members.
A post from February advises the page’s followers as to where to buy drug-testing kits that can be used at home. In September the group administrator’s shared an article about the deaths of seven festival-goers in Vietnam who were suspected of overdosing on an unknown substance.
Websites like RaveSafe and such Facebook pages are built on the idea that knowledge is power. While most people are aware of the consequences and legal ramifications of substance abuse, it has not deterred drug use across the board.
Last year, popular Cape Town DJ Dino Michael and his wife were charged with possession of drugs, primarily cocaine and ecstasy, valued at R2.6 million.
According to its information section, the goal is to “keep the vast community of clubbers and party-goers as safe as possible and provide a reliable resource of information for the less aware”.
The Western Cape Department of Health would not comment on “safe” drug usage.
"Drugs are unregulated and illegal substances. Therefore we would not condone or comment," said the department.