MOST ECSTAASY PILLS TAINTED: UBC STUDY

Deadly additives found

VANCOUVER - The Ecstasy being consumed by young people at clubs, raves and
schools is contaminated with many other chemicals, many of them more
dangerous than pure Ecstasy, according to a study of large quantities of the
drug confiscated in British Columbia.

An analysis of the pills, liquid and crystals conducted by the RCMP forensic
lab and the University of British Columbia shows drugs purported to be pure
Ecstasy can contain up to nine different chemicals. "We have never seen so
many combinations," RCMP Corporal Scott Rintoul said.

Some are loaded with MDA, or methylendioxyamphetamine, a much harsher
chemical. Other common additives include methamphetamine, or speed, which is
addictive; ketamine, a veterinary analgesic that acts as a hallucinogen; and
dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant that can trigger a sense of euphoria.

Still other additives include PCP or phencyclidine, a hallucinogenic that
was originally developed as an anesthetic; and ephedrine, a stimulant.
Caffeine is often added as a filler before the mixtures are pressed into
tablets.

Less than one-third of the tablets examined contained only one substance.

"These ones here," Cpl. Rintoul said, pointing to teal blue tablets with a
little dolphin stamped on them, "they contain methamphetamine, MDA, ketamine
and dextromethorphan."

It is not known how many people use Ecstacy, but Cpl. Rintoul says it is in
common use among teenagers and young adults at clubs, parties and raves. In
a survey of 304 rave-goers in the Vancouver area last year, 51% reported
they planned to use Ecstacy that night. The vast majority of those -- 67% --
said they trusted the dealers they buy from and believe the drugs they use
are pure.

Ecstacy tablets usually sell for between $15 and $30 each. They are made in
clandestine labs in Canada, the United States, Mexico and Europe. Cpl.
Rintoul said the most elaborate cocktails are believed to come from labs in
Canada; the purer tablets tend to originate in Europe.

Cpl. Rintoul, an RCMP drug awareness co-ordinator, has been presenting the
results of the drug analysis at conferences and seminars. He and his
colleagues plan to publish a more comprehensive report with Keith McErlane,
a UBC medicinal chemist.

The study was initiated in 1998 to find out what young people were taking at
all-night dance events known as raves. While the rave scene is fading, Cpl.
Rintoul said the drugs are as popular as ever.

Stephen Kish, a drug specialist at the University of Toronto, said the
UBC/RCMP findings are particularly worrying because some of the drugs in the
mixtures are much more dangerous than the Ecstacy people think they are
purchasing. Ecstacy, or methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), is a synthetic
drug that creates a sense of euphoria.

While there is debate about the dangers of using Ecstacy, Dr. Kish said
there is no question some of the other drugs in the pills are health
threats. "Amphetamine and methamphetamine are much more likely to cause
death than ecstacy," said Dr. Kish, who heads the human neurochemical
pathology lab at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Given the high chance of being sold drug mixtures, he said people should
stop using Ecstacy.

"I'm starting to sound like a old fogey," Dr. Kish said, "but the best
advice is just to say 'No,' because you don't know what is in the tablet.
It's a crapshoot.

"The quality of club drugs in Canada is awful."

Cpl. Rintoul and his colleagues are producing a manual to help emergency and
medical workers treat people who overdose.