USE OF ECSTASY AMONG TEENS IS UP HARDER DRUGS ARE BECOMING MORE POPULAR,
STUDY SAYS

While marijuana continues to lose its cachet among teens, Ecstasy is
growing ever more hip, says a survey of teenage drug use to be released today.

The percentage of teenagers who admitted using Ecstasy has doubled since
1995, according to the survey of 7,290 teens in grades 7-12 by the
Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

Ecstasy, also known as ''E,'' ''X'' and the ''love drug,'' is a stimulant
popular at raves and dance clubs. Users feel euphoric and are highly
sensitive to touch.

''The drug problem is constantly moving and evolving,'' says Steve
Dnistrian, executive vice president of the partnership. ''This Ecstasy
spike, frankly, is very troubling and took us by surprise.''

Overall, drug use among teens remained stable from 1999 to 2000, the survey
says. Of about 23.6 million teens in the USA, about 11.3 million have tried
an illegal drug at least once, and about 9.2 million have used one in the
past year, the survey says.

The drug most widely used by teens continues to be marijuana. The survey
says 33% of teens have used marijuana in the past year, down from 36% in
1997. But teens increasingly are turning to harder drugs, such as Ecstasy,
inhalants and amphetamines, for a high.

In 1995, 5% of teens surveyed said they had tried Ecstasy -- nickname for
the compound 3,4 methylenedioxy-methamphetamine -- at least once. This
year, 10% reported trying it, about equal to the number of teens who tried
cocaine.

The use of inhalants also grew. In 1999, 11% of teens said they inhaled a
substance to get high. This year, 13% reported inhalant use.

The study's overall finding ''confirms the trends we've seen for the last
three years -- a steady decline in the number of American teens abusing
drugs,'' White House drug policy director Barry McCaffrey said in a
statement. ''But we have serious challenges remaining, as the partnership
findings on the increase in the use of the drug Ecstasy demonstrates.''

The partnership, which designs media campaigns and commercials to
discourage teens from using drugs, will use the study to determine how to
best approach youth, Dnistrian says. ''We're talking about a dangerous
narcotic here. Some teenagers die because of taking this drug or by getting
into dangerous situations after taking it.''

Many teens perceive Ecstasy as low risk, Dnistrian says. Teens are more
likely to experiment with drugs that they see as less dangerous, he says.

Scientists have only recently begun to document the long-term effects of
Ecstasy use, so anti-drug messages must take a different approach, he says.

Federal law enforcement agencies have seen dramatic increases in the amount
of Ecstasy flowing into the USA. The U.S. Customs Service seized record
amounts of Ecstasy -- 9.3 million tablets -- in the budget year that ended
Sept. 30. The previous year, Customs confiscated 3.5 million tablets.

Wednesday, Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and FBI agents shut
down an Ecstasy network that operated in four U.S. cities and four European
countries. Agents say they have linked 3,127 pounds of Ecstasy tablets to
the syndicate, which shipped the drugs from the Netherlands and Paris to
Los Angeles and other cities.