Publication title: Edmonton Journal
Pages: B12 Section: City
Publication date: May 13, 2000
ProQuest document ID: 252716716
Copyright: Copyright Southam Publications Inc. May 13, 2000
Author: Gregoire, Lisa
Abstract:
Kids who go to these all-night parties and shun alcohol and marijuana think the ecstasy pill they swallow is clean and safe as long as users drink plenty of water, Const. Len Hollingsworth told a group of Edmonton police officers, teachers, parents and counsellors this week.
For a year, they poked and prodded Vancouver's notorious drug scene with their video camera to expose the results of addiction -- people screaming in psychotic drug-induced episodes, people picking imaginary bugs from gaping wounds, people passed out in puddles from overdose.
- Constables Hollingsworth and [Dale Weidman] of the Vancouver City Police are part of a six-member production team called Odd Squad Productions.
Full text:
Ran with factbox "Film Facts", appended to the end of this story.
The Vancouver police officers who brought viewers to skid row with a film about hard-core drug addiction are hoping their new film exposes the risks of rave culture.
Kids who go to these all-night parties and shun alcohol and marijuana think the ecstasy pill they swallow is clean and safe as long as users drink plenty of water, Const. Len Hollingsworth told a group of Edmonton police officers, teachers, parents and counsellors this week.
But ecstasy, a combination of compounds fused together in underground labs, is unpredictable, inconsistent, sometimes dangerous and can cause serious health problems, overdose and even death. He urged those who work with teens to learn the facts and start discussing them.
"We tell kids, if you want to do drugs, go ahead," said Hollingsworth, "and their eyes go wide. But we also tell them, here's the straight goods."
Hollingsworth and partner Const. Dale Weidman brought a truckload of straight goods to a conference in Edmonton designed to help police officers thwart kids from using drugs and becoming criminals.
Their first film, Through a Blue Lens, was completed in November 1999 with funding from the National Film Board.
For a year, they poked and prodded Vancouver's notorious drug scene with their video camera to expose the results of addiction -- people screaming in psychotic drug-induced episodes, people picking imaginary bugs from gaping wounds, people passed out in puddles from overdose.
But instead of degrading their subjects, they gave them a microphone and a chance to warn young people against dabbling with hard drugs. Their sober admissions are compelling, and spawned a full-length documentary and a 20-minute educational video with workbook materials and discussion topics.
They're hoping their new film about rave drugs like ecstasy, Dilaudid -- synthetic morphine -- and GHB, the so-called date rape drug, is equally compelling to young subjects. It's expected to be released by autumn.
Hollingsworth and other officers shot film at three West Coast raves. The lights and pounding music are interwoven with scenes of ravers being whisked away by ambulance, interviews with kids, cops and experts, and drug laboratory raids which show some of the toxic ingredients used to make the pills.
Ecstasy, by far the most common rave drug, is an amphetamine. One Edmonton police officer who investigates drug-related crime in the city said the manufacture and sale of ecstasy is on a huge upswing.
Estimates of ecstasy-related deaths in Canada range from 12 to 18, says Hollingsworth.
FILM FACTS
- Constables Hollingsworth and Weidman of the Vancouver City Police are part of a six-member production team called Odd Squad Productions.
- Through a Blue Lens costs $25 for individuals and $45 for institutional use. Their new film on raves is due out this fall in time for the new school year.
Copyright: Copyright Southam Publications Inc. May 13, 2000
Author: Gregoire, Lisa
Abstract:
Kids who go to these all-night parties and shun alcohol and marijuana think the ecstasy pill they swallow is clean and safe as long as users drink plenty of water, Const. Len Hollingsworth told a group of Edmonton police officers, teachers, parents and counsellors this week.
For a year, they poked and prodded Vancouver's notorious drug scene with their video camera to expose the results of addiction -- people screaming in psychotic drug-induced episodes, people picking imaginary bugs from gaping wounds, people passed out in puddles from overdose.
- Constables Hollingsworth and [Dale Weidman] of the Vancouver City Police are part of a six-member production team called Odd Squad Productions.
Full text:
Ran with factbox "Film Facts", appended to the end of this story.
The Vancouver police officers who brought viewers to skid row with a film about hard-core drug addiction are hoping their new film exposes the risks of rave culture.
Kids who go to these all-night parties and shun alcohol and marijuana think the ecstasy pill they swallow is clean and safe as long as users drink plenty of water, Const. Len Hollingsworth told a group of Edmonton police officers, teachers, parents and counsellors this week.
But ecstasy, a combination of compounds fused together in underground labs, is unpredictable, inconsistent, sometimes dangerous and can cause serious health problems, overdose and even death. He urged those who work with teens to learn the facts and start discussing them.
"We tell kids, if you want to do drugs, go ahead," said Hollingsworth, "and their eyes go wide. But we also tell them, here's the straight goods."
Hollingsworth and partner Const. Dale Weidman brought a truckload of straight goods to a conference in Edmonton designed to help police officers thwart kids from using drugs and becoming criminals.
Their first film, Through a Blue Lens, was completed in November 1999 with funding from the National Film Board.
For a year, they poked and prodded Vancouver's notorious drug scene with their video camera to expose the results of addiction -- people screaming in psychotic drug-induced episodes, people picking imaginary bugs from gaping wounds, people passed out in puddles from overdose.
But instead of degrading their subjects, they gave them a microphone and a chance to warn young people against dabbling with hard drugs. Their sober admissions are compelling, and spawned a full-length documentary and a 20-minute educational video with workbook materials and discussion topics.
They're hoping their new film about rave drugs like ecstasy, Dilaudid -- synthetic morphine -- and GHB, the so-called date rape drug, is equally compelling to young subjects. It's expected to be released by autumn.
Hollingsworth and other officers shot film at three West Coast raves. The lights and pounding music are interwoven with scenes of ravers being whisked away by ambulance, interviews with kids, cops and experts, and drug laboratory raids which show some of the toxic ingredients used to make the pills.
Ecstasy, by far the most common rave drug, is an amphetamine. One Edmonton police officer who investigates drug-related crime in the city said the manufacture and sale of ecstasy is on a huge upswing.
Estimates of ecstasy-related deaths in Canada range from 12 to 18, says Hollingsworth.
FILM FACTS
- Constables Hollingsworth and Weidman of the Vancouver City Police are part of a six-member production team called Odd Squad Productions.
- Through a Blue Lens costs $25 for individuals and $45 for institutional use. Their new film on raves is due out this fall in time for the new school year.
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