EPHEDRA USE PERSISTS

Speed Alternatives Thriving In Stores

Decades ago, if somebody went looking for speed -- a powerful stimulant
drug used to boost energy and alertness -- most likely they were trying to
illegally acquire amphetamines. Known as "Black Beauties" or "Yellow
Jackets" on the street, speed was popular with college students, truck
drivers, athletes, the overweight and drug abusers.

The 1964 Drugs Act made amphetamine possession illegal without a
prescription, but the drug's popularity persisted. These days, many
convenience stores carry knockoffs of the once-popular speed tablets,
stocking their shelves with herbal pills with names like -- you guessed it
- -- "Yellow Jacket" and "Black Beauty."

The packaged capsules usually are prominently displayed at the checkout
counter and make claims such as "extreme energizer," "wild energy" or "more
pep."

Most are laced with ephedra, an herb the Food and Drug Administration says
is derived from a botanical source of ephedrine. And when ephedra is mixed
with kola nut extract for its caffeine -- common among many products that
contain ephedra -- the results can sometimes be deadly. The FDA associates
the stimulant with at least 81 deaths and 1,400 cases of heart attack,
stroke and high blood pressure.

"It's like taking amphetamines," said FDA Spokesperson Laura Bradbard.
"Kids have died taking these."

The herbal stimulant, though, remains legal in the United States.

The FDA is responsible for taking action against any unsafe dietary
supplement product after it reaches the market. Generally, manufacturers do
not need to register with the FDA or get its approval before producing or
selling dietary supplements, according to the FDA.

Most products that contain ephedra -- which is banned in the National
Football League -- proudly advertise its effects, but as long as companies
steer clear of making any type of false drug claims, the FDA is usually
left standing on the sidelines.

"It's a very complicated issue," said Bradbard.

Recently, the Web site of a Dutch company asserted its "Yellow Jackets"
could be used as herbal "XTC," also known as Ecstasy, a popular
hallucinogenic drug that first gained a foothold among America's youth in
the late 1980s and has risen in popularity ever since. Citing illegal
marketing tactics, the FDA stepped in and sent a letter to the company
explaining its stance.

"There does not appear to be any legitimate drug use for this product, and
its sale as a substitute for controlled substances would be illegal," the
FDA said in a statement issued last week. "FDA is aware that some street
drug alternatives are being marketed as dietary supplements. FDA does not
believe that street drug alternatives are intended to be used to supplement
the diet. Accordingly, street drug alternatives do not meet the definition
of a dietary supplement."

Two key ingredients of the Dutch company's pills are ephedra and kola nut
extract. Those same ingredients also can be found in the "Stacker 2," a
popular weight-loss pill promoted as "The World's Strongest Fat Burner."
It's produced by NVE Pharmaceuticals, a New Jersey company that will
sponsor NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace beginning in 2003.

An ad running on the NVE Web site promoting another of its products, "Pure
Ephedrine," touts that it's "available all the time and in unlimited
quantities so you can have as much as you want, whenever you want it!"

Despite three phone messages left at NVE over a two-day period seeking
comment about the safety of ephedra, company officials would not return calls.

Tim Dupree, owner of Staunton Raceway on Richmond Avenue, said the selling
of ephedra-type products and caffeine tablets are "big business," and
although he hasn't seen an increase in sales over the years, there has been
a marked jump in varieties that are offered. Packs of ephedra products
containing three capsules generally cost 99 cents, with bottles retailing
for $7.99.

"There are people addicted to these things," Dupree said. "It's like legal
speed, I guess."

Beverly Robinson, a substance abuse counselor for the Valley Community
Services Board, said ephedra "is so accessible. A lot of folks don't think
it's a big deal because it's legal."

Although most ephedra products are sold as dietary supplements, Robinson
said many buy the product to get high.

"(Ephedra) is a drug. It gives them a feeling of well being," Robinson said.

On Oct. 8, the American Medical Association asked Congress to ban dietary
supplements containing ephedra.

Dr. Ronald M. Davis, a trustee of the AMA, said, " ... because of ephedra's
effects on the cardiovascular and central nervous systems, it may cause
cardiac arrhythmia, heart attacks, strokes, seizures and sudden death in
both previously healthy people, as well as in those with risk factors for
these conditions."

But what to do with ephedra is a tough balancing act between Big Brother
policing and responsibility, according to Fred Piercy, a professor and the
Human Development department head at Virginia Tech.

"Sometimes it's not so clear," Piercy said. "You don't want
over-regulation, but you don't want people to die either."