POLICE SEEING THE AGONY OF ECSTASY

Local Authorities Cite Rise In Popular Club Drugs Among Local Teens, Young
Adults.

GLENDALE -- The small, multicolored pills slid from the envelope,
scattering on the tabletop. Some are shaped like triangles and clovers,
others have letters or numbers etched into them.

"These look like your Flintstone vitamins," Glendale Police Investigator
Tim Feeley said.

That couldn't be further from the truth, he added.

These tiny pills -- commonly referred to to as Ecstasy or "X" -- are
potentially lethal and increasingly popular among local teens and young adults.

"Two years ago, we had three or four big cases. Now we see possession for
sale almost every week," said Feeley, who works in the department's
Vice/Narcotics Unit. "It goes from eighth-graders to the mid-20s."

Since January, Glendale Police have arrested 30 people on suspicion of
possessing Ecstasy and said the number would be much higher if the city was
a popular home of clubs and raves.

Ecstasy, along with a handful of other drugs, is part of the growing "rave"
party culture. Tickets to the parties are often sold by promotions brokers
and do not allow alcohol.

"I couldn't even tell you why I started. I was 17 and didn't think about
consequences," said Lisa, who would speak if only her first name was used.

She is now in college and quit using Ecstasy because of the toll it took on
her body -- wiping out her energy so that the only way she could feel
better was to take more of the drug. It eventually created such an
imbalance in her hormones that it took doctors several months to correct
the problem and help her feel less lethargic, she said.

Drugs like Ecstasy destroy neurotransmitters in the brain, said Edmond
Noll, a doctor in the emergency room at Glendale Adventist Medical Center.
Neurotransmitters control people's emotions, Noll said.

For the last several years, local hospitals have been treating patients
suffering ill effects of club drugs like Ecstasy, Noll said. The veteran
physician has treated young people for strokes and heart attacks, as well
as those who vomit and then asphyxiate after taking the drugs.

"If you use these drugs, you will develop brain damage. It's that simple,"
Noll said.

Ecstasy is also known as MDMA, an abbreviated version of its scientific
name -- methylenedioxy-methamphetamine.

"It's a very touchy-feely drug," Feeley said. "It also causes the body to
overheat, leading to heat stroke and heart attacks. Combine it with other
drugs like GHB and Ketamine and even a healthy heart can't handle that
amount of drugs."

Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate -- GHB -- is also known as Liquid X. A capful of the
salty liquid gives the same sensation as being drunk and is easier for
teens to get than alcohol, Feeley said.

"I see a lot of GHB," Noll said of the emergency room cases he sees. "You
can put it in drinks but it can make you stop breathing."

Ketamine has perhaps an even more ominous description. It is legal --
veterinarians still use it to anesthetize animals.

"Our kids are out there ingesting this stuff in a very unscientific way,"
said Lt. Lief Nicolaisen, who oversees the department's Vice/Narcotics Unit.

Ketamine, also known as Special K, can be injected or cooked and snorted,
Nicolaisen said.

"Ketamine and PCP are basically the same drug. It takes away the pain.
People break their handcuffs and don't feel that they just broke every bone
in their wrist," Feeley said.

Noll backed up Feeley's assertion.

"It can put you into a psychotic rage, change your personality. I've seen
it happen," Noll said.

Possession of each of the club drugs, which is a felony, can lead to up to
a year in jail if convicted, officials said.

Not everyone who goes to raves, which are usually in isolated areas or
warehouses and include strobe lights and techno music, uses the drugs, but
parents need to beware, Feeley said.

"Some parents see it as just a little pill, but if you found some baggie of
meth on your 16-year-old kid, you'd be furious," Feeley said. "Parents need
to take the effort to learn about these things."