ECSTASY: GIVE KIDS PAINFULLY ACCURATE FACTS

Illegal drugs drift in and out of style but never seem to go away.
Marijuana, LSD, cocaine, crack and heroin have all been in vogue at one time
or another.

Now, as marijuana use declines among teens, a hallucinogenic party drug --
ecstasy -- has become the rave. National figures show 11 percent of high
school seniors have used ecstasy, double from 1998.

For a brief time, ecstasy causes intense stimulation and a profound sense of
well-being. "It's like every sense is magnified 500 times," one user said in
an April 9 Free Press story. "Even a Snapple bottle can be so beautiful."

An ecstasy user mantra -- peace, love, unity and respect -- should ring a
bell with the Woodstock generation. In fact, ecstasy probably would have
been a hit in the 1960s, which had another popular slogan: "If it feels
good, do it."

Ecstasy feels real good -- for a few hours. Then you can crash into
depression, panic attacks, insomnia or anxiety. Users may develop a
psychological dependence, memory impairment and mood disorders. In extreme
cases, dehydration and hyperthermia can lead to strokes, heart attack or
death.

To make matters worse, pills passed off as ecstasy may have inert fillers or
poison.

"Just say no," isn't going to cut it. Neither are scare tactics or lectures
- -- not while alcohol and tobacco remain the nation's most damaging drugs.
But the physical, psychological and legal impacts of ecstasy -- having or
selling it can be a felony -- are frightening enough if teens get the
information in an honest, straightforward and supportive way.

The fight against ecstasy should start with a continuing conversation, which
best begins at home.