The rave scene overlaps with a drug culture. Although not all participants engage in drug use, enough do to make corporate Canada hesitant to directly associate itself with this market. Cocaine was snorted with disco and associated with the euphoric '80s, while heroin was shot up during the punk years and was about cultural withdrawal. Ecstasy consumers say that E is an appreciation of the mind, the body and the stimulations of nature. It is also about speed and psychic journeys, consumed usually in the presence of techno music that is often fast-paced and repetitive.
Ecstasy creates a bodily sensation that, in part, makes touching a euphoric experience.
It is a common occurrence for people attending raves to walk around giving hugs or massages to total strangers. Ironically, despite the explosion of E use, no last call for alcohol means all-ages raves are open to the next generation much earlier than bars. The rave scene has created communities that promote racial harmony and sexual diversity and thus are a magnet for those who feel marginalized. These are the children of the feminist, sexual and civil-rights revolutions of the preceding two decades. The Winnipeg rave scene, because it is not big enough to branch out into specialized groups, is a great example of the original spirit that can be found at the heart of any gathering of young people dedicated to dancing.