'EXPLOSIVE' RISE IN ECSTASY USE, WARNS US DRUG CHIEF

WASHINGTON: President Bill Clinton's drug policy adviser warned on Thursday
of an "explosive increase" in the use of the drug Ecstasy by young
Americans who are poorly educated about it.

Briefing reporters on his final report about America's drug problem, Barry
McCaffrey noted that drug education and prevention efforts have not kept up
with the onslaught of new drugs such as Ecstasy, known chemically as
methylenedioxymenthylampheta mine, or MDMA.

Those who use Ecstasy normally experience feelings of euphoria as well as
dramatic increases in blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature.

The United States' use of MDMA has spread rapidly, McCaffrey said, with an
"explosive increase in exposure among our children.''

"They think it's a hug drug, it's a dance-all-night, feel-good drug,''
McCaffrey said. But Ecstasy also may permanently impair the brain's
functions, he added, "never mind the possibility of dropping dead the first
time you use it.''

McCaffrey also noted that steroid use is up, particularly among youths who
want "to get that slightly ripped look ... to improve their chance of
getting selected for Little League baseball, or high school diving, or track.''

He said chronic drug users in the United States tend to be employed and
stable, and view treatment as a stigma.