A DEATH SENTENCE BY ANY OTHER NAME

There seems to be no end to the variety of illicit drugs in the United
States. One after another, new substances with new names appear in
deadly succession.

They have one thing in common -- the capacity to destroy users.

Heroin and cocaine don't come dressed in colorful clothes. They're
seen by the non-using public as addictive substances associated with
dingy rooms, back alleys and mean streets.

Not the new drugs. They come with catchy names and deceptive covers.
And they're often described by users as "recreational" drugs.

Ecstasy is a prime example of the new breed of illicit drugs. The name
indicates happiness, it's labeled by users as strictly recreational,
and it goes hand in hand with all-night dances that young people call
"raves."

Drugs such as ecstasy, GHB and rohypnol are being widely used at all-
night dances where young people also often drink alcohol. At most
raves, ecstasy and similar drugs are considered "fun" things that add
to the life of the party.

Before these new drugs run their course, they may have at least made
one contribution -- they may wipe out forever the misguided notion that
there is any such thing as recreational drug use.

The Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of
Health, has opened an Internet site -- www.clubdrugs.org -- and has sent
thousands of information cards and warning brochures to community
organizations, schools and colleges nationwide.

Either because they've been labeled "club" drugs, or used as an
expected part of a social party, young people wrongly believe the
drugs are safe, when in fact they can have long-term effects on how the
brain performs. Use could lead to a loss of judgment or memory and in
some cases could be fatal.

Club drugs can also deceive. GHB, for example, attracts people who
boast that they would never use ''real drugs'' like cocaine. They say
GHB merely gives them the relaxed, uninhibited feeling of a few drinks
but faster, cheaper and without the telltale alcohol smell.

That's a delusion, of course. GHP, a colorless, odorless liquid -- or
sometimes a powder -- can cause sudden comas and seizures. Originally
developed as a surgical anesthetic, it depresses breathing.

Rohypnol is also colorless and odorless. It has become known as a
date-rape drug because it can be slipped into a woman's drink without
her knowledge and tends to produce amnesia.

Ecstasy is a methamphetamine that increases heart rate and body
temperature, sometimes to dangerous levels.

Other names for some of these club drugs include XTC, adam, clarity,
Georgia home boy, cat valiums, roofies, roche, speed, ice, meth,
crystal, crank, fire and glass, according to the National Institute on
Drug Abuse.

Research, educational programs, campaigns to reduce use of the club
drugs, law enforcement, and medical costs in connection with so-called
party drugs will amount to hundreds of millions this year alone.

But all of this won't turn the tide unless everyone accepts a simple
fact: Illicit drugs are killers -- no matter what else they're called.