DEADLY RAVE DRUG ON STREETS

December 23, 2000 Deadly rave drug on streets: cops Law enforcement
officials in Manitoba are warning ecstasy users about a potentially deadly
batch of the euphoria-inducing pill that may have made its way across the
seas to Canada.

Yesterday, officials in Germany issued an alert through Interpol to
policing agencies around the world regarding deaths in several countries
linked to ecstasy pills and capsules laced with paramethoxyamphetamine, or
PMA, or paramethozymethamphetamine, or PPMA.

The tablets are marked with a "Mitsubishi" or "elephant" design.

BRAIN DAMAGE

Both PMA and PPMA have similar intoxicating effects to
methylenedioxymethamphetamine -- more commonly called ecstasy -- which
destroys serotonin-producing neurons in the brain. Those neurons play a
role in regulating aggression, mood, sleep patterns and sexual activity and
can cause damage to parts of the mind that control thought and memory.

In low doses, E produces a feeling of intense pleasure, increased closeness
with others and boosted confidence.

RCMP drug awareness coordinator Const. Annette Lewis said much of the
ecstasy being passed around at raves and all-night dance parties in this
city is imported from Europe, and officials here believe some of the
PMA-laced drug may already be available here.

The Interpol warning says the danger lies in the fact users underestimate
the power of the PMA-laced pill and take more than usual to compensate --
but a 50 mg dose of the stuff can be lethal.

Ecstasy originated in Germany in 1912 as an appetite suppressant, and in
the 1970s it became popular for psychologists to treat their patients with
in the United States.

The drug was banned in Canada because of its potential to cause brain damage.