EU DENIES SLIP LEGALIZED DUTCH-MADE ECSTASY PILLS

BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) - A "printing error" that left a precursor of
ecstasy off Dutch-language versions of an EU law against hard drugs did not
mean it was legal to produce it in the Netherlands, the European Commission
says.

In a written answer to a question from Dutch member of the European
Parliament Jan-Kees Wiebenga, the Commission said the chemical, known as
PMK, had been banned since 1992. It denied that the printing error meant
ecstasy had effectively been legal since the mistake was made in 1993.

The Commission said Monday, however, it would print a correction.

The mistake was embarrassing because the Netherlands is held responsible
for much of Europe's ecstasy production. According to a recent World
Customs Organization report, nearly four million ecstasy pills were seized
in Europe in 1999, more than double the number found in 1998. The
Netherlands was the origin of half of all shipments seized around the
world, it said.