Rolling Stone Magazine named the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md., in Howard County between Baltimore and Washington, the fourth-best amphitheater in the US and the best on the East Coast. But when 19 young concertgoers were taken from a hot and humid daylong concert on Aug 2 to the hospital and two died, one 20 and the other 17, the widespread use of the club drug Ecstasy by young people was discussed as a possible cause of the deaths, the Baltimore Sun reports.
“The loss of two young lives at an entertainment event is tragic and not something we typically see in Howard County,” the Sun quoted Howard County police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn as saying. She added that police would be speaking with Merriweather officials about preventing further deaths.
Yeah, preventing further deaths would be a good thing!
Ecstasy (3, 4-methylenedioxy-N-methamphetamine, or MDMA, sometimes called X, XTC, Adam, E, Roll, A, 007, or Molly) is illegal in the US. It’s a stimulant that can induce hallucinations and make users feel high. It’s popular with teens and young adults at clubs, electronic dance music (EDM) concerts, and “rave parties.”
The drug usually causes intense feelings of euphoria and a heightened sensitivity to touch, which usually wear off after about six hours. The side effects, however, are sometimes severe and can result in death: The drug increases the heart rate and causes users to experience dry mouth, blurred vision, chills, sweating, or nausea. It has been known to induce feelings of paranoia, including panicking about someone plotting to harm the user. It may also damage brain cells directly, particularly those involved with memory.
The problem with taking Ecstasy while dancing is that your body can overheat more easily under the influence of the stimulant. This can lead to muscle breakdown, damage to the liver and heart, and eventual death. In addition, the brain can swell up and permanent brain damage can result.
Additional resources
- A few facts about Ecstasy
- Information from the National PTA
- Drug facts from the US government
- In 2002, the drug was thought to be not dangerous (BBC)
- The real danger in the US may be contamination
The Rolling Stone review
The review of the Merriweather in 2013, naming it the best amphitheater on the East Coast, is available here. The magazine wrote:
Designed by architect Frank Gehry, known for shapes that seem structurally impossible, this outdoor theater is a huge wooden slab that seems to float over a hillside near Baltimore. Since opening in 1967, it’s hosted everyone from Phish to Led Zeppelin. … The venue is flexible enough to go big or small with ease. “It feels great whether there are 6,000 or 16,000 people there,” says Fall Out Boy manager Bob McLynn.
Fun fact: The venue is named after cereal magnate Marjorie Merriweather Post, an early patron.
Nonprofit organizations, e.g. DanceSafe, work to educate the public and venue managers to reduce the harm that can come from the deadly “multiplication of risks” mentioned, like combining Ecstasy with hot dance (EDM) environments:
DanceSafe’s website