MORE TEENS USING ECSTASY 'CLUB DRUG' HITS ALL AGE GROUPS

Use of the "club drug" Ecstasy, a mainstay at raves and dance parties,
continues to rise dramatically among American adolescents, according
to a government report released Thursday.

Among eighth-graders, use of Ecstasy, a synthetic stimulant and
hallucinogen, increased to 3.1% in 2000 from 1.7% in 1999. Among
10th-graders, use rose to 5.4% from 4.4%. And among 12th-graders,
Ecstasy use rose to 8.2% from 5.6%.

"We are very concerned about the rise in the use of Ecstasy and other
drugs that are widely available at raves and dance parties," said U.S.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala.

The 26th annual Monitoring the Future Study, by the University of
Michigan Institute for Social Research, surveyed 45,000 students in
grades 8, 10 and 12.

Despite the sharp increases in Ecstasy use, the survey reports that
overall drug use among teens has remained stable or declined for the
past four years.

Other key findings from the report sponsored by the Department of
Health and Human Services' National Institute on Drug Abuse:

* Overall use of cocaine among 12th-graders dropped to 5% in 2000 from
6.2% in 1999.

* Use of steroids among 10th-graders in the survey increased to 2.2%
from 1.7%.

* Marijuana remains the most widely used illicit drug, with 16% of
eighth-graders, 32% of 10th-graders and 37% of 12th-graders indicating
some use in the past year.

* Alcohol use has remained stable. But 43% of eighth-graders, 65% of
10th-graders and 73% of 12th-graders had used alcohol during the past
year.

Barry McCaffrey, director of the Office of National Drug Control
Policy, and Shalala cited a need to continue battling the surge of
teenage use of steroids and Ecstasy.

Ecstasy, which also is known by teens as "E," "X" and "love drug,"
causes feelings of euphoria. The drug's use has been on the rise since
the mid-'90s.

Howard Simon, a spokesman for the Partnership for a Drug-Free America,
said Ecstasy use is up because kids perceive it to be a "low-risk"
drug.

"Ecstasy is not a fun drug, it is not harmless," Shalala said. "It is
a dangerous drug that can lead to heart or kidney failure."