L.A. County ecstasy info flyer criticized

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A Los Angeles county supervisor critical of a county health department flyer about the dangers of ecstasy says he wants the agency to stop distributing it.

The flyer, meant to be handed out at future raves at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Sports Arena, discusses the effects of ecstasy overdose and "how to minimize potential harms," the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

The flyer contains advice to "aim low" in dose and frequency, because "ecstasy risks increase with larger doses."

County Supervisor Mike Antonovich said the flyer, created after the ecstasy overdose death of a 15-year-old girl attending a Coliseum rave last June, did not fit the spirit of the county's anti-drug policy.

"Counseling young people on the use of the illegal drug ecstasy is stupid and contrary to Los Angeles County's zero-tolerance policy on drugs," Antonovich said in a statement.

County Department of Public Health officials said the flyer, developed from recommendations of a rave safety task force, was meant to explain the harmful effects of Ecstasy and provide potentially life-saving information to rave attendees choosing to use the illegal drug.

"The card is funded by electronic music festival promoters, and distribution is intended solely at events for attendees, who should be over the age of 18, per task force guidelines," the health department said in a statement. "Along with harm-reduction messaging, this card states ecstasy use should be avoided."

"However, based on feedback from board members and upon further review by the department, Public Health is immediately revising the card to further and more emphatically state that illegal drug use is dangerous," the statement said.