ECSTASY BELIEVED TO HAVE KILLED GIRL, 13

Montreal-Area Death

MONTREAL - A 13-year-old girl has died after taking what is believed
to have been Ecstasy at a friend's house.

Police say the teenager took the substance while on a weekend visit
with a 14-year-old friend in Hudson, about 40 kilometres west of
Montreal, on Saturday. During the visit, the pair decided to go over
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 Quebec provincial police.

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

At approximately 3 a.m. on Sunday, the 14-year-old girl's mother
called an ambulance when the 13-year-old's situation became serious.

The girl, whose name is under a court-ordered publication ban, was no
longer breathing when ambulance technicians arrived. She was taken to
the Montreal Children's' Hospital, where she was placed on an
artificial respirator. She died on 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
(also known as methylenedioxymethamphetamine), Const. Butz said.

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

Marcus Tabachnick, chairman of the Lester B. Pearson School Board, of
which the girl's school is a part of, said he fears teenagers
underestimate the danger of consuming such drugs as Ecstasy.

"It's a social problem," Mr. Tabachnick 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."

The 16-year-old boy was arrested on Sunday, hours after the girl was
taken to the hospital. The youth, who was released after his court
appearance on Monday, faces charges of drug possession, drug
trafficking and obstructing a police investigation. Police said
yesterday the girl's death might mean further charges will be filed
against him.