STANFORD ESCAPES WIDESPREAD ECSTASY USE

STANFORD, Calif. -- Ecstasy, a controlled substance
possessing stimulant and hallucinogenic properties, is best known as
the fuel for raves, nightclubs and rock concerts. But, in recent
years, the drug's use on college campuses across the country has
increased significantly.

According to the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 8
percent of U.S. high school seniors said they had tried Ecstasy,
better known as "E", at least once, up from 5.8 percent in 1997.
Nationwide, customs officers have already seized more Ecstasy this
year -- over 5.4 million hits -- than they did last year.

However, the Cowell-administered National College Health Assessment
survey conducted last spring at Stanford found that a small percentage
of students use the drug.

"Ecstasy use at Stanford is under 5 percent," said Ralph Castro,
manager of the Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Program at Cowell.
"So it's still a minority of college students here that say they have
used the drug within the past year ... but Ecstasy use overall is on
the rise."

Taken together, the numbers tell only part of the story

"The most important thing to consider is how the substances are
affecting people's lives and their interactions with other people,"
Castro said. "The real question is why these individuals are using
drugs and what mechanisms are in play."

One Student's Story

It is 10:30 p.m. on a Friday night, and Jason* decides to go for it.
Perched atop the couch in his friend's Stanford dorm room, he pops the
hit of Ecstasy in his mouth and gulps it down with a glass of water.
Someone taps him on the shoulder. "It's going to feel so good, man,"
she says. "No worries." Jason relaxes.

"In about an hour, I began to feel extremely spontaneous and clear,"
said senior Jason, describing an experience using Ecstasy last year.
"My body felt cushioned and I had a happy feeling not unlike a nice
beer buzz -- and at the same time like nothing I had ever experienced
before. As the drug really began to take effect, I was suddenly
nauseous, but it wasn't really an unpleasant experience."

Four hours later, the drug's mood-enhancing effects began to wear
off.

"When I was coming off the drug, at first I felt a little sad and
then, for a brief moment, extremely paranoid," Jason continued. "At
times, I experience paranoid episodes while smoking pot, but overall,
these experiences were brief and only lasted long enough for me to
realize that I could also feel the same without the drug."

"[Using the drug] in social situations made me feel united with the
crowd and gave me some enjoyable sensory side effects," said sophomore
Julie.

Another student agreed. "Taking E felt amazing," said Ryan, a junior
who first "rolled" on Ecstasy his sophomore year at Stanford. "You
just feel so good, so sensitive to touch. You feel like you love the
world, love life. You want to call your family. It's just a really
happy feeling."

The effects of Ecstasy these students describe are not uncommon.
Derived from the amphetamine family of chemical compounds, Ecstasy
induces feelings of euphoria, reduces inhibitions and speeds up the
metabolism. A Time magazine article on Ecstasy's increasing popularity
found that most users felt peaceful, empathetic and energetic.

"People I would never have talked to -- because I'm mostly in the
Manhattan business world -- I talk to on Ecstasy," said 29-year-old
"Jack" in an interview with Time. "I've made some friends I've never
had."

On the other hand, Ecstasy use can have irreversible consequences.
Results from a study conducted by the National Institute of Mental
Health and Johns Hopkins University found that chronic use of
Ecstasy's chemical compound, MDMA, damages the brain cells that
release serotonin, a key mood-regulating neurotransmitter.

Essentially, MDMA instructs the brain to release a large amount of
serotonin over a short period of time, which accounts for the "happy"
feeling many people experience while using Ecstasy.

But the drug's aftermath may leave users feeling a little less than
happy.

"Ecstasy could exacerbate conditions for individuals with
predispositions to mental illness or major depression," Castro said.
"It takes about a week to replenish the serotonin used [during a
session with Ecstasy] and, coming off the drug, many people experience
a dip in mood called 'Blue Tuesday,' or 'Terrible Tuesday,' because
serotonin is needed for people to feel normal emotionally."

How long MDMA-induced brain damage persists and the long-term
consequences of that damage are still in question. However, animal
studies, which first documented the neurotoxic effects of the drug,
suggest that the loss of serotonin neurons in humans may last for many
years and possibly be permanent, according to the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration. Furthermore, chronic use of the drug
increases the risk for such damage.

Ecstasy's short-term effects include overheating and dehydration. Like
many stimulant drugs, Ecstasy raises body temperature and, when users
sweat while dancing energetically in hot, crowded situations like
raves, they often forget to replace lost fluids. As a result, many
suffer from heatstroke. According to DanceSafe, a non-profit
organization that focuses on the rave community's health and safety,
over 100 people across the nation have died taking Ecstasy at raves.

The drug can also affect users' social behavior, said junior Ryan, who
uses Ecstasy multiple times per quarter.

"Most people start using drugs because they want to try new things,"
he explained. "But [then] they become arrogant, thinking they're so
cool now that they do drugs. They base their entire social lives
around drugs to escape the reality of how difficult maintaining
personal relationships can be. People they meet while rolling E aren't
going to be as friendly once the drug wears off. It's kind of sad actually."

Drug Use At Stanford

In "Stanford University's Drug Subculture," one of over a dozen
student-produced video presentations featured at the 2000 Stanford
Student Film Festival, seniors Florence Nocar and Nicoli Richardson
and junior Majda Muhic took a closer look at the dynamics of student
drug use at the Farm.

"We discovered that drug use of all sorts occurs at Stanford," Nocar
said. "It was surprising to hear what could be found here, from pot to
cocaine, even reports of heroin. Stanford students, from those we
asked, preferred E and pot the best."

However, Peter, a recent Stanford graduate and occasional marijuana
smoker, explained that many students choose to use marijuana over
Ecstasy because of cost and availability.

"Ecstasy can go for anywhere between $20 to $40 a hit," he said.
"You'd better have some serious cash to keep up that habit."

In addition, many students think that using marijuana is less
dangerous than harder drugs. But studies have proven that marijuana
poses serious health risks, which can include increased heart rate,
dry mouth, impaired motor skills, reddening of the eyes, bronchitis,
emphysema and asthma, according to the Drug Enforcement
Administration.

Many students said that they started using marijuana and then moved on
to other substances. "The first time I smoked pot was in my junior
year of high school," said junior Brad, who uses other drugs one to
three times per week. "A friend introduced me to it on New Year's Eve.
I rarely smoked pot in high school and didn't really smoke a decent
amount until sophomore year at college."

Ryan, who now uses hallucinogenic drugs like LSD several times per
quarter, also started by smoking marijuana in high school.

Stanford students buy marijuana, Ecstasy and other drugs through a
system of contacts. "Most drugs like pot, cocaine, methamphetamine and
Ecstasy originate from an off-campus source and are usually brought
into campus in bulk or semi-bulk quantities," said Brad, whose friends
often buy Ecstasy.

Stanford Use By Comparison

Illegal drug use at Stanford is traditionally less than the national
average, said Jim Montoya, vice provost for student affairs. "There is
a small percentage of the student population that uses drugs on a
regular and recurring basis. For this portion of the student body, I
would say drug use is a problem. To say there is not a problem at
Stanford would be untrue, but the extent of the problem is not
widespread."

Sophomore Lilla Toal agreed with Montoya's assesment.

"I think [fewer] students at Stanford use academic
performance-enhancing drugs," she said. "And there's definitely less
amphetamine abuse as far as other recreational drugs go. You also
don't see drugs used here in the mainstream as much as other schools."

Stanford Police Chief Marvin Herrington offered another reason for the
discrepancy.

"The drug situation here is not terribly bad," he said. "I think in a
lot of other institutions you get a greater number of serious drug-use
problems because there are more part-time students who spend more time
away from their respective institutions, while most students at
Stanford are full-time."

Because there is less drug use at Stanford, there is less peer
pressure to use, Herrington said.

"There's a lot less peer pressure here on campus than there was 15 or
20 years ago, when drugs were new," he said. "And people who are into
drugs usually hang together."

Nocar's documentary found this to be true.

"Drug use seems to be more the result of curiosity than peer
pressure," Nocar said. "There are drug circles but they are not
pressure groups -- more like support groups."

Potential For Disciplinary Action

The Stanford Police Department's regulation of student drug use does
not usually include arrest.

"What we typically get are students who call, don't give their names
and say that drugs are being used in [a certain] dorm and that they
don't appreciate it," Herrington said. "So we go in through the
residential fellows and the Student Affairs people and say, if the
[individuals] using drugs are caught, they will not only have to deal
with] Stanford's judicial system, but also federal law."

Herrington has found this method to be effective.

Students caught using drugs can be found in violation of Stanford's
Fundamental Standard and/or the Honor Code. However, Judicial Affairs
Adviser Laurette Beeson said that has rarely, if ever, occured.

Cowell's Role

Cowell's Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Program provides drug counseling
to students and disseminates information through education classes and
outreach to student residences.

"Our educational outreach efforts reflect the fact that students'
patterns developed in high school and college to handle stress, and
often continue well past the college-age years," Montoya said. "I want
Stanford students to learn how to deal with stress in healthy and
productive ways."

"A lot of people use drugs for escapism," Ryan explained. "Unless you
associate drugs with negative things, why not use them? But ... you'll
wake up one morning and realize you want to do drugs in moderation,
and you yourself have to define exactly what 'moderation' means. To
me, it means living in reality without being stoned. Because, in a
very real sense, you are in an alternate dimension when you take drugs."

*Names have been changed.