GROUP TELLS PARENTS OF ECSTASY'S EFFECTS

NEW YORK -- While Ecstasy increasingly becomes a favoured drug among
teenagers, only one per cent of U.S. parents believe their child has ever
tried the "club drug," according to the Partnership for a Drug-Free
America's annual report.

The nonprofit group's survey of parents, released this week, also found
that while 92 per cent of parents were aware of the drug, nearly half would
not recognize its effects on their kids.

Symptoms of Ecstasy use include blurred vision, rapid eye movement, chills
or sweating, dehydration, confusion, faintness, severe anxiety, grinding of
teeth and a trancelike state.

Ecstasy, often handed out at "rave" dance parties, has been linked to
damage to the brain, heart and kidneys.

Last week, lawmakers in Washington said they wanted to go after organizers
and hosts of "raves" in an attempt to halt the fast-rising use of Ecstasy.