RAVE DRUG THRIVES IN NETHERLANDS

AMSTERDAM -- At a jam-packed private party at the edge of this city's
red-light district, the theme one recent night was 1980s retro, the music
was blaring and much of the crowd was in an Ecstasy-energized frenzy.

"Is this a great party or what?" said a sweaty young American, pushing his
way to the bar for three glasses of tap water for him-self and two friends.
When people are on the drug that's often called just "e," they feel elated
and packed with pep. Often they dance so hard that consuming lots of water
is essential to prevent serious dehydration.

The young American, a newcomer to the Amsterdam scene, knows all about the
potentially dangerous side effects of "e" -- the next-day comedown, the
slight depression and the repetitive, involuntary tooth-grinding that often
leaves e-users with day-after sore gums.

But there are ways to counteract these effects, he says, sounding like a
veteran user. Chewing gum stops the teeth-gnashing. Eating an orange the
morning after helps balance out the mood swings.

Drug enforcement officials, lawmakers and health care experts in the United
States are sounding a new nationwide alarm about Ecstasy also known as "x"
or "happy pills," calling it the newest and fastest-growing drug in the
illegal marketplace. There were congressional hearings last year, new
federal legislation to stiffen penalties and re-ports of huge Ecstasy busts
by the U.S. Customs Service; 2.1 million tablets were seized in Los Angeles
last summer.

But here in the Netherlands, where an estimated 80 percent of the worlds
Ecstasy is manufactured, people and government alike treat its use as a
fact of the cultural landscape. "It's everywhere," said Monique, a
30-year-old waitress who began using it a decade ago. "I come from a really
small village, and it was there," she said, asking that her full name not
be used. "At house parties it's still around, definitely"

For years, Holland has pursued what may be the industrial world's most
tolerant approach to drug use. Amsterdam is dotted with "smoking shops,"
establishments where people can buy small amounts of marijuana and hashish
without fear of prosecution. Officials have extended this tolerance to
Ecstasy, and take what they call a pragmatic view that, whether society
likes it or not, a certain number of people are going to use the drug, so
the risks should be minimized.

Here, party-goers can take their Ecstasy pills to a branch of a drug
treatment center to have them tested and the contents analyzed. The pill is
then handed back. If the clinic technicians cannot immediately determine
the content of a pill' they offer to send it to a laboratory for further
tests. That's not a problem for most users, be-cause they tend to buy their
pills in batches of five or six.

The pill-testing program serves another purpose, he said; it gives the
government accurate and up-to-date data on what pills are on the market and
how prevalent the use is, as well as a profile of the users.

The government has also is-sued a white paper laying out rules for the
underground par-ties, or "raves," where Ecstasy use is prevalent. For
example, party sites must be well ventilated and there must be plenty of
free water available, to prevent e-users from becoming dehydrated through
all-night dancing. There must also be a "chill-out" room, a cool and quiet
place where "ravers" can sit peacefully to calm down.

Officials also say their strategy of tolerating use should not be
interpreted by their American counterparts as tolerating trafficking and
manufacturing. Ecstasy remains illegal in Holland and is classified as a
hard drug, like heroin and cocaine.