CLEOFATO ALMEIDA COUTINHO
In 2017, the deaths of two of our young people from suspected overdose at a late-night Independ ence Day weekend party positioned Goa as a drug ha ven. Manohar Parrikar was facing Panjim by-elections and after the I-Day celebra tions he thundered, “Late night parties are illegal and that is where drugs are consumed and distributed.” “Where there is music, there is a possibility of drugs and overconsumption of liquor so we will make sure the time limit is adhered to,” said North Goa SP Chandan Chaudary. That was almost a decade ago, and nothing had changed on the ground. In 2014, a Mumbai woman died after collapsing at a Goa EDM festival. In 2019, three youths died—two of them at the entrance gate of a music festival and anoth er thereafter. In Dec 2024, a 26-year-old Delhiite died of acute renal injury and edema. Last month, during a holy weekend, a 21-year old Indore boy died of a sus pected overdose at an illegal music party in Anjuna. It is not rocket science to under stand that these parties and music festivals have a deep and synergistic connection with what is now called ‘club drugs,’ which heighten energy, sociability and sen sory perception. The rave parties (young people dancing to fast paced, repetitive beats and mostly consuming illegal drugs), started by hippies in the North Goa beach belt gave way to EDM (Electron ic Dance Music) famously known as Goa trance. For eigners have been throng ing to such parties particu larly in the Anjuna-Vagator belt. Over the last decade, rich Indians and particular ly the young and women, have massively attended such parties. Indian Journal of Medical Research in a search article, states: ‘With technological advancement and particu larly the information tech nology sector coming up in a big way in India, suddenly there is a new rich young generation. This is coupled with the need to temporar ily escape severe work pres sure and the social isolation created by this lifestyle.’ That explains the deaths at weekends. The organisers made Ecstasy freely avail able at such events. It is known that Ecstasy is the drug of choice to enhance the experience of repeti tive rhythmic sounds and the club environment. De spite the draconian NDPS law, law enforcement au thorities have utterly failed and/or are complicit with the organisers as the par ty business involves really big sharks. Just look at the Birch by Romeo Lane trage dy. I read that Calvin Klein which is the street name for a concoction of cocaine and anesthetic Ketamine is man ufactured in Goa! The mainstay of mu sic festivals and all-night dance parties is psychedelic trance—its chief feature be ing fast tempo and repetitive bassline energy. The energy to dance to that beat comes from the consumption of stimulants like MDMA, Ec stasy and cocktails which enhance energy, endurance, sociability and sexual arous al. The popularity of these illicit drugs tremendously increased among young people attending nightclubs and raves. EDMs have become syn onymous with the use of club drugs otherwise ille gal by law. Even the United States was caught between zero-tolerance enforcement and medical safety. Due to a significant rise in Ecstasy overdose cases and fuelled by public pressure for strict er regulations, the Illicit Drugs Anti Proliferation Act of 2003 popularly called the Rave Act, was brought in. It targeted venue owners who knowingly allow their prop erty to be used for illegal distribution and use with a civil penalty of a $2,50,000 fine or double the gross profit from the event which ever is greater. Moral panic was created by a potent blend of very loud music, illicit drugs, and anti-social behaviour by the long-haired revellers and noise complaints. That peaked in the UK at the Cas tlemorton Music Festival in 1993 attracting twenty-five people and triggering a very controversial and unpopu lar act which introduced a ban on repetitive beat music by way of Section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. A sound wholly and predominately characterised by the emis sion of a succession of re petitive beats was banned, giving police sweeping pow ers and imposing fines up to 2,500 pounds and three months’ imprisonment. No doubt such laws ap pear draconian as they have a chilling effect on music. Music industry—with danc ers, MCs, promoters and musicians—organised a network of protests and agi tations against the sweeping powers given to the police to remove persons attend ing or preparing for a ‘rave’. But the ruling Conservatives stood firm with traditional British decency and law and order. The ravers faced po lice in Italy and France. The controversial laws may not have killed illegal raves but certainly curtailed them into smaller events in remote places. Party music and dance shifted to licenced venues where profits are taxed, closing times and noise levels are adhered to, and the number of people is controlled. This led to fully regulated leisure activity through super-clubs and music festivals. Night clubs became a legitimate business activity. Of late, the UK has started issuing drug testing licenses to private bodies at leading festivals with the aim to reduce the consumption of adulterants, contemplated drugs and re duce the risk of posing and overdose. The countries threatened by this menace turned to full regulation and licensing. Regulations and licensing can work only when the administration is not corrupt and acts ac cording to the law and pro cedure. Dancing is an age-old hu man instinct; music, song and dance are the mainstay of the entertainment indus try and certainly foster the tourism industry, but there is a need to protect our young. If countries like the US and UK find themselves in tight spots over zero-tolerance enforcement versus medical safety, resorting to draconi an measures, we are far be hind when our states allow restaurants to be used as nightclubs and promote mu sic festivals where neither time limits nor noise levels are adhered to. As our young die, it’s time to wake up. (The writer is a desig nated Sr. Advocate and a political thinker)
