ECSTASY SUSPECTED IN DEATH

13-Year-Old Girl Was Staying With Friend. 'Society Is Taking A Much
Too Soft Approach To Drugs. All This Stuff Can Harm You'

Police are trying to determine whether the drug ecstasy killed a
13-year-old Rigaud girl last weekend.

The girl was staying over with a 14-year-old friend in Hudson, about
40 kilometres west of Montreal, on Saturday night.

During the visit, the pair decided to go to the nearby home of a
16-year-old friend. His parents were not home at the time.

"During the night, the two girls consumed a drug that we suspect was
ecstasy. (Investigators) think it was that. We can't confirm it, but
that is what we were told was consumed," said Constable Marc Butz, of
the Surete du Quebec.

Later that night, the two girls returned to the 14-year-old's home,
where the younger one began feeling sick.

About 3 a.m. Sunday, the 14-year-old girl's mother called an
ambulance when the 13-year-old's condition worsened.

The girl was no longer breathing when the ambulance arrived.
Ambulance technicians performed CPR on her and took her to the
Lakeshore General Hospital.

Because of the serious nature of her condition, the 13-year-old was
transferred to the Montreal Children's Hospital, where she was placed
on a respirator. She died Monday.

The 14-year-old girl did not report feeling sick even though she
consumed what investigators have been told was the same illicit drug,
Butz said.

At the 13-year-old girl's high school, in a town west of Montreal
Island, administrators issued a notice to students letting them know
social workers were available if they needed help in dealing with her death.

Marcus Tabachnick, chairperson of the Lester B. Pearson School Board,
of which the girl's school is a part, said he fears teenagers
underestimate the danger of consuming drugs like ecstasy.

"It's a social problem," he said.

"There's a popular belief that ecstasy is a safe drug and as long as
you keep the person hydrated, it's fine.

"I think society is taking a much too soft approach to drugs. All
this stuff can harm you."

*Long-term use of stimulant deadly*

Ecstasy is the street name for MDMA (3-4
methylenedioxymethamphetamine), a stimulant similar to
methamphetamine. The drug acts on brain cells that use serotonin to
communicate with other neurons. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter
that regulates mood, aggression, sexual activity, sleep and
sensitivity to pain.

Users of ecstasy report feelings of trust, love and warmth toward
others, heightened sensitivity and general euphoria. Animal studies
show long-term use damages brains cells involved in mood, thinking
and judgment.

Sources: Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, National
Institute on Drug Abuse (U.S.)