DRUG'S POPULARITY EXPECTED TO GROW

Even though he's only 18 years old, "Dave" has seen -- and used --
almost every drug imaginable since lighting his first joint seven years ago.

The Chippewa Falls High School senior has seen fads come and go, from
cocaine and methamphetamine to hallucinogenic mushrooms and
air-freshener inhalants.

In the last year he's seen and tried a new drug in Chippewa County: Ecstasy.

"It's a really intense buzz," Dave said on a recent morning in the
office of Chi-Hi student assistance coordinator Rachel Wallace. Dave
and two other students spoke recently about their drug experiences on
the condition that their real names not be used.

Although the drug isn't highly popular yet for a variety of reasons,
the students predicted that this latest fad will become more prevalent
in coming years.

Nationwide Ecstasy use is on the rise among high school students,
experts say.

According to a national survey conducted in 1999 by the University of
Michigan, 5.6 percent of 12th-graders had used the drug in the last
year, up from 3.6 percent in 1998. Tenth-grade use also increased,
from 3.3 percent in 1998 to 4.4 percent in '99.

Wallace estimated only 5 percent of the drug cases she deals with are
Ecstasy-related, but "last year at this time I would have said 1 percent."

Yet the percentage of students using these drugs remains small
compared to alcohol and marijuana, the national survey showed.

In 1999, 73.8 percent of 12th-graders and 63.7 percent of 10th-graders
had used alcohol in the past 12 months. Marijuana use stood at 37.8
percent for 12th-graders and 32.1 percent for 10th-graders, according
to the survey.

These figures seem to hold true in the Chippewa Falls area, where high
school parties still are dominated by alcohol and marijuana, the
Chi-Hi students said.

They estimated only about 3 percent of the drug users they knew had
tried Ecstasy or methamphetamine, a related stimulant.

A typical weekend party consists of a keg of beer and about 60 people
in an isolated spot "way out in the boondocks," Dave explained.

About half of the partygoers might smoke marijuana, but they usually
do it away from the main party for fear of being turned in to the
police, he said.

In the last year, Dave and "Aaron," 18, have seen Ecstasy appear in
the area, but few people they know "roll," or use the drug.

There seem to be several factors behind Ecstasy's relative lack of
popularity. One reason is fear. Recent rumors that a former Chi-Hi
student died of an Ecstasy overdose frightened some who might want to
use the drug.

"That scared everyone away from it," Dave said.

There's also the more general fear that drugs sold in pill form might
be something other than what the user expects, he said.

As with any new drug, "that fear's always in the back of your head,"
Aaron said. The students added they feel poorly informed about the
drug.

In addition Ecstasy has the reputation of being a "girl's drug," the
students said.

Wallace said she works with teen-age girls who only use the drug while
attending raves -- late-night, techno-music dance parties. But because
of the drug's potentially harmful effects, Wallace said this apparent
gender gap could be deadly.

"What might give a 250-pound boy a hallucination may kill a 100-pound
girl," she said.

Another factor is the apparent lack of raves in the area. "Lee," a
17-year-old student, said he has heard of raves in Bloomer, while
Aaron and Dave have heard of them in Eau Claire and Menomonie.

But without many raves -- which law enforcement officials say go
hand-in-hand with drug use -- Ecstasy is not a typical party drug yet,
the students said.

Mark Hanson, a detective with the Chippewa Falls Police Department,
agreed.

"I don't think (raves are) as prevalent as . the old-fashioned
underaged beer party," he said.

Many young people who may not see the harm in drinking alcohol
probably shy away from raves and illicit drugs, Hanson said.

"Our pursuit of the underage drinking parties and underage drug use
isn't changing," Hanson said. "Really (Ecstasy is) just one more thing
we have to learn about."

Another reason for Ecstasy's relative lack of popularity is simple
economics: A tablet of the drug can cost $30 to $35, while just a few
dollars can buy marijuana.

"It's cheaper to get stoned than to roll on Ecstasy," Dave
said.

"Ecstasy is not a big thing in Chippewa," Aaron added. "It's really
expensive. It's not popular, but I'm sure it will be."

However, the students also agreed Ecstasy might only be a fad, like
other drugs that have come and gone over the past few years.

For example, use of cocaine and methamphetamine spiked in the summer
of 1999 but has tapered off.

However, the students added, getting high with anything simply
involves a trip up Interstate 94 to the Twin Cities.

"There's always drugs for people who want to get them," Dave
said.