Whistler ecstasy death highlights risk: RCMP

Whistler RCMP are warning the public about the dangers of ecstasy after one young man died and another was hospitalized after taking the drug last week.

Kevin Van Huyse, 20, was found unconscious in a Whistler home Thursday morning after taking the illegal street drug in a powdered form. He was rushed to hospital but died a short time later.

'The majority of kids — I'm not going to lie — do do drugs in Whistler,' —Whistler resident Jamie Leigh Taylor

The official cause of death has yet to be released, but Whistler RCMP said another young man in the home also overdosed on the drug. He is expected to recover.

Van Huyse had moved to Whistler from Ontario right out of high school to live the quintessential Whistler life — snowboarding in the winter and skateboarding in the summer — while working in a restaurant to pay the bills, according to a friend, Jamie Leigh Taylor.

Ecstasy everywhere

As for many young people in the ski town, the lifestyle also involved occasional use of ecstasy, which is easily available, said Taylor.

"It's everywhere. It's at the clubs, I've witnessed it at the bar, in washrooms," she said.

Taylor said Whistler's party atmosphere leads to an anything-goes attitude among many young people.

"The majority of kids — I'm not going to lie — do do drugs in Whistler," she said. "It's around consistently."

Deadly complications

The RCMP warn that ecstasy disrupts the functioning of the brain, placing users at risk of depression, impaired memory, panic attacks and other adverse effects.

They also say ecstasy disrupts the body’s ability to regulate temperature, blood pressure and heart rate, which may lead to sudden death.

Police say a 17-year-old Fernie teenager almost died last week after taking the illegal drug.