ECSTASY'S GRIM TOLL RISES AGAIN

Toronto Wins Dubious Distinction As Drug Linked To Seventh Death This Year

With a report from Caroline Alphonso

Toronto -- A 21-year-old mother of one died after taking ecstasy at a
downtown club over the weekend in Toronto, which officials fear is now the
leading city in North America for such drug-related deaths.

Beth Robertson of Etobicoke is the seventh person in the Greater Toronto
Area to have died from ecstasy-related causes so far this year.

The number of deaths connected to the hallucinogenic drug has jumped from
zero in 1997 to nine last year.

Since the start of this year, the Greater Toronto Area has averaged one a
month. The victims ranged in age from 17 to 28; Ms. Robertson was the only
woman.

"Toronto appears to be the capital of North America of ecstasy-related
deaths," said Steven Kish, head of the neurochemical pathology lab at
Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Dr. Kish studies the brain to understand ecstasy's effects. He met recently
with pathologists from big U.S. cities; they had seen few such deaths,
compared with Toronto. Jim Cairns, deputy chief coroner, agreed, saying
Toronto has "far more ecstasy-related deaths than most other major North
American cities."

Every week an estimated 15,000 young people flock to the city's clubs, many
of which play popular music past 6 a.m.

Once underground, rave culture has evolved into a mainstream leisure
industry, with ecstasy as the enhancer.

So far this year, customs agents in Toronto have seized 15 times as many
ecstasy pills as they did in all of 1999.

Last month Toronto banned raves from all city-owned property afater a
motion by Mayor Mel Lastman, who says they are nothing more than a haven
for drug dealers.

However, the city's crackdown would not have helped Ms. Robertson, who died
after taking the drug in a mainstream club in the heart of Toronto's
entertainment district.

The woman, who lived with her husband Charles and son Jeremy in an
Etobicoke apartment, went with a male friend to Systems Sound Bar on Peter
Street last Friday night.

Yesterday, the sign on the Robertsons' apartment door read "Please do not
ring door bell. Just walk in." However, there was no one home.

The owner of the house on Woodlot Crescent said the family had rented the
basement apartment for about a year.

Ryan Heikoop, who used to live next door, said Ms. Robertson was going to
be the president of the students' committee at Humber College this
September.

He was shocked yesterday to hear of her death. "I doubt she has ever been
to raves before," he said.

Detective Martin French said the young woman took some ecstasy while in the
club and left around 5 a.m. after complaining that she felt ill. She was
taken to a friend's house, where she became unconscious.

At 9:30 a.m. Saturday the friend called police and Ms. Robertson was rushed
to North York General Hospital. She died one hour later.

"There is no quality control of the chemical make-up of this product. Young
people have to know about the dangers," Det. French said.

He said the police would appreciate information from anyone who was at the
club that night and may have seen Ms. Robertson.

"We want to know who she was with, who may have been supplying the drug,"
he said. "Her mother does not want this to be a senseless death."

Raj Ramphal, the investigating coroner, said an autopsy produced no
anatomical cause of death. He said he is waiting for toxicology and
microscopy tests, which will reveal whether ecstasy and any other drugs
were in her blood.

"Ecstasy is a strong suspicion, but not an established fact at this point
as the cause of death," he said.

The drug, taken in low doses, has been known to cause a great sense of
pleasure, enhanced self-esteem, depression and panic attacks. In higher
doses, ecstasy can cause hallucinations and distortion of perception and
memory. It has been associated with kidney or cardiovascular failure
induced by hyperthermia (dangerously high body temperature) and
dehydration.

What most people don't know is that ecstasy, taken alone, can kill, said
Dr. Kish. He has an agreement with the provincial coroner permitting him
access to the autopsy brains of ecstasy users as long as the next of kin
consent.

"If you drink a glass of wine, you're not going to die. If you take one
tablet of ecstasy, you can die."

Six people from the GTA have died from taking pure ecstasy without any
other drugs.

Dr. Kish said he is annoyed that ecstasy is still widely regarded as
harmless. "Newspaper columnists at The Globe and Mail who feel taking
ecstasy is a human-rights issue don't help. It's not the same as drinking
alcohol. Taking ecstasy can kill you."