SMALL GAIN CLAIMED IN TEEN DRUG WAR

Massachusetts teens doubled their consumption of ecstasy over the last
three years but slightly backed away from alcohol and marijuana, by far the
most prevalent drugs, leading health officials yesterday to call their
anti-drug efforts a mild success.

Much attention has been focused on ecstasy of late, but the new figures,
released by the state Department of Public Health yesterday, indicate that
the drug, while more popular than ever, remains a small component of
teenage drug use.

The best news in the survey, health officals said, was the finding that
Massachusetts teens first try alcohol, on average, at age 12, the highest
age in a decade.

"People who start drinking in early adolesence are more likely to develop
alcohol dependence," said Teresa Anderson, director of research and
evaluation for the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services, which oversaw the
drug survey.

The survey indicates that 65 percent of sixth graders have not tried
alcohol, a significant drop from three years ago. But alcohol use among
grades seven and eight remains high despite a 19 percent decrease from
three years ago, with almost 60 percent of those students consuming it at
some point in their lives. And among high school students, about 80 percent
had consumed alcohol, a number that has hardly budged in a decade.

With alcohol seemingly an intractable part of American adolescence, health
officals celebrated these slight declines as proof that aggressive antidrug
efforts, which they have focused on middle school students in the past
three years, can have benefits.

"We are witnessing the power of prevention at work," said Dr. Howard Koh,
director of the state Department of Public Health. Koh said officials have
"many challenges ahead with respect to club drugs."

Ecstasy is the most common of these drugs.

The drug earned its title from the enthusiasts who use and peddle it under
the pulsating lights and amid the throbbing beats in dance clubs.

But most ecstasy doses are sold outside such clubs, said state researchers.

The survey indicates a 45 percent increase in ecstasy use by seventh and
eighth graders and a 56 percent jump among high school students in the past
three years.

That means 4 percent of middle school students and 15 percent of high
schoolers have tried it, double the national average, but still minor when
compared with alcohol.

Ecstasy reportedly produces feelings of well-being, gregariousness, and
abundant physical energy.

But studies have shown that it can cause confusion, depression, sleep
problems, addiction, severe anxiety, and paranoia.

It may also cause long-term brain damage, though nothing conclusive has
been shown. Its rapid rise has alarmed health officals, who are concerned
that the drug is seen by teens as mild, mainstream, and readily available -
though that is not actually the case.

"A lot of young people think almost everyone is doing ecstasy.

We need to state clearly that everyone is not using ecstasy," said Ian
Wong, chairman of the state's Club Drug Task Force, a 17-member group
formed last month to figure out how to combat its spread.

Though some specialists contend that the drug is a fad, others worry that
complacency will result in proliferation of use.

"It's a very alluring drug that has achieved a foothold in communities
around Massachusetts," said Stephen Wallace, chairman and chief executive
officer of Students Against Destructive Decisions, a national antidrug
education group based in Marlborough.

Marijuana use declined 24 percent among seventh and eighth graders and 3
percent among high schoolers, the survey indicates, while use in those
groups nationwide increased.

Still, a majority of high schoolers reported trying the drug, and the
average age of first use was 13.

Far less prevalent was the use of inhalants, common items like glue, fuel,
and cleaning products that can produce disorientation if sniffed.

Ninety-four percent of the students surveyed said they have never used
inhalants.

But nonprescription use of Ritalin, a pharmaceutical used to treat anxiety
and a host of psychological problems, was tried by about 10 percent of high
schoolers. Health officals were unsure what to make of this, as Ritalin
data have never been collected in the survey's 16-year history and no real
trends were discernible yesterday.

Finally, the survey indicates that heroin use among Commonwealth teens is
quite low, with only 3 percent reporting ever having tried the drug.