ECSTACY NOT THE PROBLEM

John Hayes implies in his April 30 letter that Ecstasy causes a large
number of people to die from liver disease. Ecstasy in recreational doses
does not harm the liver. Any doctor will tell you alcohol is the drug that
does the most harm to the liver.

Tobacco kills 40,000 Canadians a year, alcohol kills 15,000. Ecstasy has
killed, at most, a few dozen Canadians, mostly from overheating from
dancing at raves. These deaths were likely preventable with accurate drug
education, but the government would rather sacrifice these kids' lives so
it can say Ecstasy is "dangerous."

Like the bathtub gin that blinded so may during alcohol prohibition, impure
recreational drugs will continue to kill as long as governments leave the
market wide open to unscrupulous criminals rather than regulate and tax
them like alcohol.

Dean Fournier
Ottawa

(The one thing you've said that makes sense is that we need more accurate
drug education.)