First introduced to the Senate on May 18, 2002, the Reducing Americans Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act of 2002 (the RAVE Act) poses a huge threat to the rave community by generalizing parties as drug havens and making it increasingly more risky for promoters to put them on.
The premise of the RAVE Act is that raves are solely organized to exploit the American youth and induce "flagrant drug consumption."
The RAVE Act would prohibit any individual from knowingly opening, maintaining, managing, controlling, renting, leasing, making available for use, or profiting from any place for the purpose of manufacturing, distributing, or using any controlled substance. If violated, the promoter, landlord, and/or building manager could face a civil liabilities fine of up to $250,000 (or equal to two times the profits made from the event), plus, another (criminal penalty) fine of up to $500,000 and up to 20 years prison time per person. Promoters could also have their property seized without trial.
Many people are opposed to the RAVE Act. Concerned parents and members of the medical community worry that this would mean that the scene would go further underground and, therefore, further from health authorities and safety regulations. This would also discourage promoters from offering harm reduction measurements (i.e. pill testing).
According to Senator Grassley (one of the two senators who first put forth this Act), the statute would only be applicable if the rave promoters or location owners allowed their space to be used for an event while knowing drugs would be "manufactured, stored, distributed, or used." However, many people do not think all-night dance parties would be the only victims. If passed, the RAVE Act could be used to prosecute any promoter involved in any type of event where trafficking and/or consumption of an illegal drug happen to occur (i.e. high school dances, community festivals, wedding receptions, etc.).
Civil liberties activists worry of its ability to restrict ones constitutional rights such as freedom of expression and speech, rights of public assembly, and constitutional property law.
For more information please see
http://www.dancesafe.org or to see the complete text of the RAVE Act, go to thomas.loc.gov and type in s2633 in the bill section.
