TOUGHER ECSTASY LAW PLEASES OFFICER

Laclede County Sheriff's Department D.A.R.E. Officer Al Nutter said he was
glad to see Gov. Bob Holden "jumping on board" in the fight to keep the
drug ecstasy from becoming the next methamphetamine in Missouri.

Holden signed a bill into law Monday making it a felony to possess more
that 450 grams of the drug. A conviction could bring a sentence of 20 years
to life in prison, the same sentencing that is in place for drugs like
heroin and cocaine.

"I am just tickled to death," Nutter said of the new ecstasy law. "I think
it's something that's been a long time coming."

Nutter said although the drug has not been located in Laclede County it has
been close, surfacing in the Springfield area and at Lake of the Ozarks.

He said it is important to keep hammering away with the message that the
use of ecstasy can not only cause long-term damage to the brain, but in
some cases it can be fatal.

Nutter said he has two lessons dealing with ecstasy in his D.A.R.E. classes.

"The thing about it is it's still on the increase," he said. "I spoke with
a (law enforcement) friend of mine in Kansas City and they're still seeing
an increase (in ecstasy) and they have a regular task force. It's an
ongoing battle that we've got to keep fighting."

The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports ecstasy (chemical name
methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA) began emerging in the mid-1980s as a
so-called party or club drug at all-night dance parties known as raves.

The raves began in metropolitan settings but have spread to rural areas and
around college campuses.

Nutter said many parents, not wise to the reality of the raves, believe
they merely are dance parties where their kids can go to have a good time
and socialize with their peers.

"Here's the thing that really, really scares you," Nutter said. "When they
do have these rave parties, where ecstasy is involved, the promoters claim
that these are drug-free and substance-free events. Boy, what a scam they
do to the parents.

"We read everyday where kids are falling into this rave thing and parents
are saying 'wow, I didn't know that, I thought it was this or that.' But
these big promoters, these guys know."

Ecstasy can produce increases in heart rate and blood pressure and can
increase body temperature to as high as 108 degrees.

Because its stimulant properties enable users to dance for extended
periods, it can also lead to dehydration, hypertension and heart or kidney
failure.

Nutter said that is one of the reasons that there are so-called "cool-down
rooms" at the raves.

"You walk into this place and you see kids running around with candy
pacifiers in their mouths, drinking copious amounts of liquid, " he said.

Nutter said a bill like the one signed into law by Holden is a start, but
more education is needed to curb the use of the drug.

"Every eye that we open to the problem that we have at hand is just that
much farther up the ladder of success that we can get," he said. "It could
become a full blown epidemic just as methamphetamine. It's a major concern."

Following Missouri's lead, Maine Gov. Angus King, signed a bill into law
this week that outlaws club drugs like ecstasy in his state and imposes
serious penalties for possession or trafficking.

Meanwhile, the DEA now lists ecstasy as one of its "drugs of concern."

The DEA reports that while ecstasy abuse currently is not as widespread as
other drugs, it has increased significantly -- 500 percent -- over the last
five years.

So concerned are officials of the increased use of the drug that the NIDA
will be hold a symposium on ecstasy next month at the National Institutes
of Health in Bethesda, Md.

The NIDA reports that a number of the nation's most respected monitoring
mechanisms are detecting an alarming increase in the popularity of ecstasy.

The new Missouri ecstasy law takes effect Aug. 28.