GET EDUCATED, BE PROACTIVE, STEM THE TIDE OF ECSTASY

The little pill has an attractive name and a relatively small price
tag. It makes you feel alive, loving and euphoric. Your inhibitions
are gone, and you are one with the music, the colors, the other
people in the room. You've heard that this little miracle pill is
safe and nonaddictive. Why wouldn't everyone want to slip ecstasy
down their throats?

Maybe, as Bee reporter Ty Phillips points out in Sunday's Special
Report, "The Ecstasy and the Agony," because a single dose can cause
permanent brain damage. Or because some ecstasy pills sold locally
have been laced with heroin and methamphetamine. Or because the
euphoria is often accompanied by a chaser of dehydration and
blackouts, and sometimes even death.

Ecstasy has been popular on college campuses for years. Now, even 14-
and 15-year-olds are taking it in droves, often at "raves," which
feature loud music, dancing and colored lights. Local police estimate
that more than 90 percent of ravers take ecstasy or other "club
drugs." Even ravers acknowledge that more than half the crowd is on
the drug. Ecstasy was easily accessible at a rave in Modesto on
Saturday night.

Why do teens take the drug? Besides the "good vibrations," ecstasy
has a reputation of being "safe" compared with other illegal
substances. The tales of permanent damage and death aren't on
newspaper front pages or on TV newscasts. And teens can buy the pills
for about $20 a pop, less if purchased in advance of a party or rave.
Even kids who stay away from "hard" drugs such as LSD and cocaine are
lured into the world of ecstasy, thinking it's something they can
safely try.

Maybe they should ask 20-year-old Katie Townsend, who drove to
Modesto for Saturday's rave from Sunnyvale. Townsend believed the
myths about ecstasy. No more. "I stutter now and have a hard time
remembering things," she said. She's still into raves, but off the
drug. Good thing. A study by Johns Hopkins University found that
monkeys who were given ecstasy for as few as four days suffered brain
damage still evident six and seven years later. Teens who say they
"only" use the drug once a week or so should take note.

What can be done to eliminate the problem? A three-pronged approach
is necessary:

Schools must educate students on the dangers of "club drugs" like
ecstasy. This can best be done as freshmen in required health
classes, but teachers and principals should incorporate other times
of teaching as well. Student assemblies featuring speakers who have
been affected by ecstasy, special events during October's drug
education month and posters warning of dangers also could be
incorporated.

Parents must be vigilant and proactive. Phillips' report in The Bee
includes a section, "What parents should look for," that shows
paraphernalia that may indicate ecstasy drug use. A solid
relationship with teens also will help, and that takes time,
something often forfeited in our busy lifestyles. And perhaps it
won't -- literally -- kill a student to skip the next party or rave,
even if he or she assures you it's a safe place to be. The role of
parents is tough, and just when you think you can slack off on
vigilance, something like ecstasy comes along. Keep your efforts
strong; local police say that kids who take ecstasy often come from
"good" homes.

Police are doing the right thing by cracking down on local raves and
jailing those who are finding a quick buck by selling ecstasy and
other club drugs. Across the country, stories are told about sleazy
rave promoters who amass extra money by selling ecstasy and then
boosting the price of bottled water to sell to the dehydrated kids.
The ecstasy may cost $10; the bottled water may go for nearly as
much. Officers need to continue to work with parents and schools to
end the myth that ecstasy is safe.

One place educators and parents can get more information is at a
seminar on club drugs put on by the Modesto Police Department. It
will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday in the theater at the Police
Department, 600 10th St. It's a good place to start.