GUIDELINES STIFFENED FOR SELLING ECSTASY

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Sentencing Commission stiffened guideline penalties
for selling the drug ecstasy, more than tripling potential jail terms to
over 6 years for people caught selling 800 pills.

The change, made Tuesday in response to a mandate from Congress, comes as a
new White House drug policy report shows that ecstasy, once a drug used
primarily at nightclubs, has expanded beyond the club scene and is now
being sold at high schools, on the street and even at coffee shops in some
cities.

The availability of ecstasy increased dramatically and more blacks and
Hispanics are using the drug, said the biannual report, which chronicles
the latest trends in drug use.

Edward H. Jurith, acting director of the Office of National Drug Control
Policy, said the report's findings should serve as a warning to policy makers.

"We never again want another 'crack epidemic' to blindside this nation,"
Jurith said in a statement. "By monitoring what is happening on the
streets, we can often see a problem before it becomes an epidemic."

Ecstasy is chemically known as MDMA -- methylenedioxymethylamphetamine.
Users normally experience feelings of euphoria and an increased desire to
interact socially. Blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature increase
dramatically.

While overall teen drug use has either fallen or stayed the same in recent
years, ecstasy use has climbed. The White House report, to be presented at
a Senate hearing on narcotics Wednesday, showed that more than 80 percent
of officials surveyed in 20 cities around the country said ecstasy was more
available than ever.

Nightclubs and dance parties known as "raves" are the most common venue for
using ecstasy, but law enforcement, epidemiologists and drug treatment
providers reported that the drug was also being sold at private parties,
college campuses, high schools and on the street.

In New York, officials reported sales of ecstasy and other "club drugs" in
shopping malls; in Washington, ecstasy was being sold in coffee shops, the
report said.

The U.S. Sentencing Commission changed the sentencing guidelines for
ecstasy after weighing the views of the Justice Department, which supported
tougher sentences, and hearing from criminal lawyers and some medical
researchers who opposed stiffer penalties on the grounds that they are
excessive for a drug that is less dangerous than heroin or cocaine.

The new guidelines call for sentences of between 63 months to 78 months for
first time offenders caught selling 800 pills. The sentence used to be 15
months to 21 months for the same amount.

The guidelines are mandatory for federal judges and are good for six months
starting May 1. The commission, an independent federal agency that sets
national sentencing policy, can submit a permanent rule to Congress in May.

The change makes ecstasy five times more serious to possess or sell than
heroin on a per-dose basis, said the National Association of Criminal
Defense Lawyers.

"This is a wholly political act, not one based on scientific evidence,"
said Edward Mallett, the group's president.