News (Media Awareness Project) - US: Ad Campaign Takes Aim On Teens' Rising Use Of Ecstasy |
| Title: | US: Ad Campaign Takes Aim On Teens' Rising Use Of Ecstasy |
| Published On: | 2002-02-12 |
| Source: | St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-08-31 04:06:31 |
AD CAMPAIGN TAKES AIM ON TEENS' RISING USE OF ECSTASY
WASHINGTON - Ecstasy use is rising among American teen-agers, many of whom
are unaware of its dangers, an anti-drug group said Monday.
The Partnership for a Drug Free America said it is starting an advertising
campaign to warn teens about the dangers of Ecstasy, which has been linked
to damage to the brain, heart and kidneys. The synthetic drug is considered
part hallucinogen and part amphetamine.
The group's annual survey found that overall drug use remained steady last
year except for Ecstasy, which became popular over the past decade at dance
parties known as raves. Use of that drug rose 20 percent last year and has
increased 71 percent since 1999.
John Walters, director of the White House drug policy office, said
anti-drug officials are trying to counter an impression among teens that
Ecstasy is harmless.
"This is about heading off a problem before it gets out of control," he said.
Many of the ads in the new campaign feature the parents of Danielle Heird,
a 21-year-old Las Vegas woman who died after taking Ecstasy in 2000. She
was partying with friends and had taken the drug for only the third time in
her life, her parents said.
"We don't want your families to endure the heartbreak and pain we feel,"
said her mother, Elsa Heird, at a news conference.
But Mark A.R. Kleiman, director of the drug policy analysis program at the
University of California at Los Angeles, called the approach dishonest. He
said that while long-term use can be harmful, there is limited evidence
that a single use is damaging.
"It's not a very fatal drug. Its dangers are different dangers," he said .
At the news conference, Dr. Glen Hanson, acting director of the National
Institute on Drug Abuse, said the danger of Ecstasy varies depending on the
health of the person using it. For example, it is more dangerous for
someone with a heart problem.
The survey of 6,937 teen-agers found that 12 percent of 12- to 18-year-olds
had used Ecstasy at some point in their lives. That compares with 10
percent in 2000.
WASHINGTON - Ecstasy use is rising among American teen-agers, many of whom
are unaware of its dangers, an anti-drug group said Monday.
The Partnership for a Drug Free America said it is starting an advertising
campaign to warn teens about the dangers of Ecstasy, which has been linked
to damage to the brain, heart and kidneys. The synthetic drug is considered
part hallucinogen and part amphetamine.
The group's annual survey found that overall drug use remained steady last
year except for Ecstasy, which became popular over the past decade at dance
parties known as raves. Use of that drug rose 20 percent last year and has
increased 71 percent since 1999.
John Walters, director of the White House drug policy office, said
anti-drug officials are trying to counter an impression among teens that
Ecstasy is harmless.
"This is about heading off a problem before it gets out of control," he said.
Many of the ads in the new campaign feature the parents of Danielle Heird,
a 21-year-old Las Vegas woman who died after taking Ecstasy in 2000. She
was partying with friends and had taken the drug for only the third time in
her life, her parents said.
"We don't want your families to endure the heartbreak and pain we feel,"
said her mother, Elsa Heird, at a news conference.
But Mark A.R. Kleiman, director of the drug policy analysis program at the
University of California at Los Angeles, called the approach dishonest. He
said that while long-term use can be harmful, there is limited evidence
that a single use is damaging.
"It's not a very fatal drug. Its dangers are different dangers," he said .
At the news conference, Dr. Glen Hanson, acting director of the National
Institute on Drug Abuse, said the danger of Ecstasy varies depending on the
health of the person using it. For example, it is more dangerous for
someone with a heart problem.
The survey of 6,937 teen-agers found that 12 percent of 12- to 18-year-olds
had used Ecstasy at some point in their lives. That compares with 10
percent in 2000.
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