'RAVE' DRUG MAKING LOCAL SCENE

Ecstasy: 1. A state of being overpowered by emotion, as by joy, grief,
passion. 2. A feeling of overpowering joy; great delight; rapture 3. A
trance, esp. one resulting from religious fervor.

Webster's definition of the concept of ecstasy uses many of the same words
used by teens in describing the high from the drug ecstasy, also known as "E."

The drug has been popular in the so-called "rave" scene for some time and
is prevalent in larger cities. But it has only recently come to local law
enforcement's attention as a potential problem in Bakersfield.

Many local teens say ecstasy's low cost and easy access make it a popular
escape from boredom and family problems. They say they want to have fun and
be happy. The drug makes them feel free, they say.

But ecstasy is a powerful narcotic with a dark side teens may not know
about and which has only recently begun to be studied.

Ecstasy is a methamphetamine derivative, a central nervous system stimulant
that affects the nerve cells that produce serotonin, one of several brain
chemicals that transmit signals from one nerve to the next. Ecstasy causes
the nerve cells to release all the stored serotonin at once and this rush
may cause damage to the ends of nerve fibers, according to recently
published reports.

"Most people don't know what E is," said local "clubber" Jimmy, who refused
to give his last name.

Jimmy, 23, said he began using ecstasy at age 16.

He quit three or four months ago, he said, because he couldn't be sure what
was in E. He suspected other drugs were being mixed with the ecstasy, which
comes in tablet, capsule or liquid form.

"There's some hard drugs in it," he said.

Even without other additives, ecstasy increases heart rates and body
temperatures and can lead to heat exhaustion. The medical community has
only begun to study its possible effects, long and short term, on the brain.

Jimmy said the risks of doing the drug were no longer worth its feel-good
effects.

Ecstasy originated in Germany in 1914 and was used for weight loss, then
faded from use until 1953 when the U.S. Army began looking into its
toxicity on animals. It was discovered it wasn't potent enough for use in war.

Again, E disappeared until the late '70s when it became a hot therapeutic
drug for people suffering from depression.

In 1986 the DEA classified it as a Schedule One illicit drug — one that has
a high potential for abuse and misuse with little or no medical benefit.

Ecstasy has come back with a vengeance in recent years as part of the
"rave" or "clubbing" scene nationwide.

In 1998, the National Household Drug Survey found that 369,000 teens in the
United States ages 12 to 17 used E at least one time in their life.

That figure was up by 70,000 teens in 1997.

"Parents need to be aware of it. If the problem is boredom, then the
solution is to address the boredom," said H. Westley Clark, director of the
Center of Substance Abuse for the federal government.

E wasn't considered a problem in Bakersfield until the Bakersfield Police
Department made its first ecstasy bust last December in front of a night
club on Rosedale Highway.

According to reports, two patrolmen seized 20 off-white tablets, each with
a Buddha symbol (a symbol commonly found on the drug in pill form) that
officers suspected to be ecstasy.

Now, officials say they're on the alert for the drug, which is typically
smuggled in from Europe.

"This is the type of drug people party with," Sgt. Brad Roark, of the
Bakersfield police narcotics division said. "And with an increase in
nightclubs, it's only a matter of time before the demand gets out of control."

The latest bust was about one month ago when officers arrested two
juveniles at a local junior high school for possession of "more than one,
but less than 20" pills suspected to be E, Roark said.

Jimmy said the school is a common place to find ecstasy for sale.

"It's the older crowd selling it to the younger crowd," he said.

Ecstasy has typically been associated with 12- to 25-year-olds involved in
the rave, or clubbing, culture.

The scene is marked by baggy pants, loose tops and non-stop, dance beat
music. Teens often gather at raves — illegal all-night dance parties — and
clubs to dance, take ecstasy and lose their inhibitions.

The high-energy, pulsating music entices them to shed clothing as their
body temperatures climb (a common side effect of the drug) and touch and
rub against strangers.

Glow-in-the-dark chew sticks, pacifiers and plastic jewelry are typical
accouterments in rave and clubbing culture. They are also closely
associated with ecstasy.

One of E's common side effects is teeth grinding, Roark said.

"This is why they chew on something," Roark said of the glow sticks and
pacifiers.

Another more serious side effect can be heat exhaustion as ecstasy
increases the heart rate.

"Their body temperatures can reach 105 degrees. Then they drop from heat
exhaustion," he said.

The dangers of ecstasy are often lost on its youthful users.

Another clubber Gwen, 21, who refused to give her last name, said she was
an E user but eventually recognized it "wasn't worth dying over."

She said she began taking ecstasy when she was 17.

At the time, Gwen said, she didn't think it was a hard-core drug.

Now, a recovering drug dependent for two years, Gwen warns her friends:
Don't do it.

BPD Detective Gregg Bender said the drug has become prominent downtown,
where young people spend time in a number of nightclubs.

"I personally feel it will be bigger than rock cocaine," he said.

Teens say E already is much more common than police think.

"I know people who have used it at school," said Kaycee, 15, whose last
name and school were withheld by The Californian to protect her identity.

Kaycee said parents shouldn't make the mistake of thinking ecstasy can be
associated with appearance. It's often used by the "girl or boy next door,"
she said.

"My mom introduced me to a friend who started using drugs shortly after (we
met)," she said.

Kaycee said her mom wasn't aware of the new friend's activities and
continued to push the friendship.

"The whole time I was trying to help her," Kaycee said of the other girl.

Jerry Anderson, who has counselled teens for 12 years and works with young
people at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic church, said ecstasy has become a
common topic among the youngsters with whom he works.

"The one (drug) that scares me the most right now is ecstasy," Anderson said.

One teen in Anderson's group, who declined to give her name, said she tried
E "just because."

For another teen, ecstasy was a means of escape. She also wished to remain
anonymous.

"I did it to escape my pain and the pressures from school," she said. "They
(family) didn't appreciate me, so I said 'why bother being good.'"

A hallmark of the teen years is exploration of boundaries with no concern
for consequences, said Clark, with the U.S. Center for Substance Abuse.

But ecstasy contains potentially hidden dangers that may not surface right
away. Twenty to 40 percent of the pills touted as ecstasy are bogus, he said.

"For young people, this should be compelling," he said.

The effects of ecstasy on the brain and whatever else is being put in the
pills may not be known for years.

"What are you taking?" Clark asked, rhetorically. "Do you feel lucky?"