taken from 365Mag (old Xpander)

[url]http://www.365mag.com/index.php?pg=full&idnews=2349[/url]

[quote]Club promoters and event organisers alike have welcomed the news that US authorities have abandoned plans to make nightclub owners legally responsible for their customers' drug use. Civil liberties campaigners the Drugs Policy Alliance (DPA) have long since fought the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act (also known as the RAVE Act).

The RAVE act has caused much controversy in the US since it was first passed by Congress in 2003, making promoters and venue owners liable for the drug offences of their customers. It centred around the key point that would have made it a federal crime to promote "any rave, dance, music, or other entertainment event, that takes place under circumstances where the promoter knows or reasonably ought to know that a controlled substance will be used or distributed". This sparked a grassroots campaign from clubbers and civil liberties activists, climaxing in a large-scale outdoor rally that included a DJ performance by Junior Vasquez outside Congress last year. Across the States, dozens of business owners and thousands of music fans signed petitions in opposition to both the Clean-Up Act and the Ecstasy Awareness Act.

Washington, DC based DPA director Bill Piper said "While there was much in the bill we liked, we opposed a key provision that would have punished nightclub owners and music promoters for their customers' drug use. Not only did the Clean-Up Act not pass last year, but earlier this month a new version of the Act was introduced that doesn't even contain the controversial provision. This is an enormous victory for the Alliance and our supporters; live music fans across the country; musicians, club owners and activists; and the Protect Live Music campaign," he added.

Austin-based DJ/producer D:Fuse has always made clear his opposition to the bill, "We're not advocating drug use, but let's get real, it's everywhere in society. This is draconian legislation that is really about taking everybody's freedom away."

It seems Congress has had a long-standing suspicion of electronic music. Aside from drug-issues, many European artists have endured rigorous homeland security screenings. On application for a work visa to play in the US recently Laurent Garnier claimed he was asked for proof that he owned his house, asked for bank statements and even mobile phone records. Intrusive measures such as these ultimately led to cancellation of his US tour. This U-turn by Congress, meanwhile, will be seen as a significant victory for club owners and clubbers alike all over the US.[/quote]

this is certainly good to hear. its a step in some kind of good direction. i believe one certain nyc superclub met its fate due to these kinds of circumstances over a period of time. glad to hear it cant happen to any more.

^^^ well that is good news... maybe it will hep the scene rebuild a little quicker, since promoters wont be afraid to throw a party

nothing strange about this one, just great news that everyone should hear about...moving

Thank god those club nazis have given up on this one :RockOn:

Re: US U-Turn On Rave Act

Def. good news ... Club owners/promoters cant always control who brings what in... and for them to get in trouble for it just does not seem right .. 1 step in the right direction for nightlife..

The rave act was so gay. Did you know that the government originally did the tests on XTC using monkeys?

They also administered 10 times the normal human dosage.

Talk about bad constants.

Fuckin -A- man, thats exactly what killed the scene here in austin, sent all the kids back into the clubs, and less talent would come to town. It would be awesome if things went back to how they were around 99-2000....creams in pants

:RockOn:

In lay-man's terms, "Congress has finally received enough black money from drug dealers and the cartel as well as secured all opium fields in Afghanistan that we will stop harassing club owners and rave promoters. Carry on with your business now as we gracefully donate this money to much needed causes like military funding."

Too little, too late for some.

The associated propaganda that flooded newspapers and TV has already left a bad impression on a lot of people who don't know any better. Like venue-owners who now refuse to rent for anything that looks like a "rave" for fear police, who have been trained that any sign of dance events is an automatic reason to shutdown events, will arrest them and the promoters. I'm sure all of this was one of the primary goals of the whole anti-dance campaign and the offending propagandist certainly hit their bullseye. It will be years before most areas recover from all this. Some may never. I have some friends back home who lost their ass trying to throw events because venue owners backed-out on the day of the events for fear of RAVE Act threats by law enforcement. I don't blame the venue-owners. Hell, I don't even blame the police (they just do what they're told.) It's the people who compose these laws so their own agendas move forward and common freedoms be damned who are at fault.

And maybe I'm overly skeptical, but I don't read "US authorities have abandoned plans" as positively as other do, but when I see "Rave Act repealed" on as many mediums as all those negative headlines, drinks are on me ;)

maybe it's a ploy from the big dj's to keep the music underground.

[quote=White_Hindu]The rave act was so gay. Did you know that the government originally did the tests on XTC using monkeys?

They also administered 10 times the normal human dosage.

Talk about bad constants.[/quote]

Actually, I believe it was later determined that these monkeys were accidentally injected with pure amphetamine rather than MDMA. This was the ONLY test submitted to the government regarding MDMA overdosing, and is STILL used as a source in many commercials and articles even thought the results have been tainted. :roll:

Is that club called BLACK still around that had Peters dj'ing at?

I remember hearing about it getting busted about a week after it opened. I forgot to go looking for it when I visited.

Black is now called Ikon and Peters is now spinning at Spirit (formerly Twilo, but so far away :( )

wow.. thats great news... I almost gave up on democracy when I first heard of the RAVE act a couple of years ago... its good to know that the system still works and I wont have to turn to anarchy :|

[quote=meinie][quote=White_Hindu]The rave act was so gay. Did you know that the government originally did the tests on XTC using monkeys?

They also administered 10 times the normal human dosage.

Talk about bad constants.[/quote]

Actually, I believe it was later determined that these monkeys were accidentally injected with pure amphetamine rather than MDMA. This was the ONLY test submitted to the government regarding MDMA overdosing, and is STILL used as a source in many commercials and articles even thought the results have been tainted. :roll:[/quote]

Yeah, that's how I remember it too. It wasn't even MDMA.