STATE CRACKS DOWN ON CLUB DRUG

State officials are waging war on the club-scene drug Ecstasy, putting more
undercover officers into clubs and reiterating their commitment to existing
drug laws that could cost a business its liquor license if patrons are
found using or dealing illegal substances.

The action by the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control has outraged some
local club owners, who say they should not be held responsible for the
actions of patrons.

"They legislate stuff and we have to become the enforcers," said an angry
Joe Bisirri, owner of Joe's Town Tavern in National Park. "I'm 55 years old
and I know nothing about drugs."

''I don't have the authority to strip and search people, so how can I be
held responsible for what they carry in their pockets,'' agreed Chris
Mourtos, owner of the Coastline in Cherry Hill.

Mourtos was concerned a random incident in his bar could cost him severely.

The rave culture has popularized the drug, but the hosts of the all-night
dance parties don't condone or promote its use, said George Polgar, whose
Philadelphia public relations firm has worked with Local 13. That group has
thrown raves in South Jersey. Promoters and venue owners are on the lookout
for drugs, he said.

"Every venue manager that I've ever worked for, when you look at the total
budget of what they do and you see what they spend on security, you see
they do take it seriously," Polgar said.

But the managers of Top Dog, a Cherry Hill nightclub thatdraws a
20-something crowd, said they are capable of handling any Ecstasy problems
in their club. Top Dog hires undercover staff to search for drugs, Frankie
Laino, the publicity and entertainment director, said.

"Before this letter came out we were pretty much on top of the issue,"
Laino said.

Top Dog's upstairs nightclub is open Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Although the targeting of undercover officers to combat Ecstasy is new,
club owners should not be surprised by the strict penalties, said David
Bregenzer, a deputy attorney general. The penalties have existed for
decades and always have applied to Ecstasy.

Under the policy, a business could be punished even if owners or staff had
no idea a customer was using drugs. A base penalty is a 30-day suspension
of a license, but that could be reduced or increased depending on the
circumstances. A club's liquor license could be revoked if club employees
were involved with or knowingly overlooked Ecstasy use.

The division has sent 7,000 letters to clubs, bars and restaurants warning
of its plans in an effort to curtail the use of the drug, most popular with
teen-agers and people in their 20s. The stiffest penalties would be leveled
against club owners with employees involved in selling the drug or who
knowingly overlook its use, officials say.

"From our point of view, if it's a situation where there' s owner and
employee involvement there's going to be a very harsh stance," Bregenzer
said. "Primarily they've got to train employees to be alert and not to
tolerate it from the get-go.''

The increased enforcement comes as use of the drug is is exploding
nationally, law enforcement officials said. Ecstasy, the popular name for
methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), has gained attention as the growing
drug of choice at clubs and all-night dance parties, typical of the rave
subculture.

The drug increases the brain's production of serotonin, a chemical believed
to be responsible for determining mood. Ravers call the euphoric sensation
Ecstasy produces as " rolling."

Adverse long-term effects include paranoia, chronic depression, increased
heart and blood pressure, nausea, and birth defects in infants whose
mothers use Ecstasy.

The drug's side effects are often exacerbated by exhaustion and overheating
caused by hours of dancing in a packed club. In New Jersey there have only
been a few documented cases of people dying from an Ecstasy overdose, said
Terrence Farley of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. He said Shore law
enforcement agencies have experienced growing problems with the drug over
the past year.

"If there are young people around, Ecstasy will be there," Farley said.

Club owners are being instructed to contact police or the ABC's Enforcement
Bureau if they suspect any illegal drug activity on their premises.

The ABC's new policy stems from legislation signed by Gov. Christie Whitman
last month that increases the fines and sentences for Ecstasy possession.

In the past, possession of Ecstasy was a third-degree crime, no matter how
many pills were confiscated. Now, possession of 500 or more pills can
result in first-degree charges punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Last year, ABC officials fined the Margate club Delirium $25,000 and
suspended its liquor license indefinitely after investigators on two
occasions witnessed Ecstasy deals taking place there. The case was the
ABC's first large-scale dealing with the drug.

Some of the dealers were club employees. The club's owners are forbidden
from holding a liquor license anywhere in the state for the next two years.

Gloucester County also has seen an increase in Ecstasy use within the past
two years, said Bill Reichert, a prosecutor with the Gloucester County
narcotics strike force.

"Kids as young as 13 or 14 are buying it and using it," he said.

His office has made eight arrests since stiffer penalties were enacted this
summer. In all of 1999, the prosecutor's office made 10 Ecstasy arrests.

Officials in Camden and Burlington County counties say the Ecstasy problem
has not hit their areas severely, though earlier this month, Camden County
investigators confiscated $1,250 worth of the drug from two teen-agers in
Voorhees. They were charged with distributing the drug and one could face
up to 35 years jail time.