FORGET ECSTASY, SAYS COP

One of B.C.'s top drug cops is praising a British study that found
young people who use the party drug ecstasy risk long-term brain damage.

A team of psychologists told the British Psychological Society
conference in Glasgow, Scotland, yesterday that regular users may
damage the part of their brains that allows people to remember what
they have to do next.

The study of 40 adults who took ecstasy at least 10 times a month
found they had poorer memories than 39 adults who didn't take the drug.

The results, said Vancouver RCMP Cpl. Scott Rintoul, is further
ammunition for those who are trying to convince young people that
ecstasy is not the harmless party drug that is claimed by some members
of the Rave set.

"This is very timely," said Rintoul. "It is indicating more and more
that this is not a benign drug."

The researchers found that heavy users are liable to forget things
such as brushing their hair in the morning, locking the door, zipping
their trousers or making a necessary telephone call.

In some ways their behaviour mimicked the forgetfulness of old age or
early dementia, said the scientists.

Rintoul said ecstasy creates euphoric feelings by cranking up the
body's production and levels of serotonin.

Users report depression, anxiety and confusion, he said, as they
struggle with lower serotonin levels.

"They call it the ecstasy crash," he said.

Rintoul estimated that about 10 per cent, maybe slightly less, of
18-year-olds have tried the drug at least once, compared to the 75 per
cent who will have tried marijuana by that age.

In B.C., four deaths have been linked to the drug.

Rintoul said many social workers fear that long-term use may lead to a
flood of people in a decade or so who suffer from clinical depression.

Said the British study: "There is a belief that soft drugs should be
legalized when in fact, research suggests that regular use can have a
very damaging effect on your cognitive health."