TAKING A STANCE: CHRISTIE PUSHES FOR HARSH DRUG PENALTIES

Gov. Christie Whitman called Tuesday for quick steps to ratchet up the
criminal penalties for possession or sale of the illegal drug Ecstasy,
which officials claim has grown alarmingly in popularity among teen-agers.

Whitman said the psychedelic drug has hidden dangers, with recent
studies linking frequent use to brain damage.

"The promise of a quick thrill is not worth a lifetime of suffering
and impairment," she said.

Law enforcement officials claimed the drug is known to cause severe
and sudden illness, including artificially high temperatures that can
cause death.

The law Whitman proposed would put Ecstasy offenses on the same
footing as heroin and cocaine, with those caught in possession of five
ounces or more -- the equivalent of about 500 pills or doses -- facing
a prison term of up to 20 years.

Ecstasy is the most common of the street nicknames for the man-made
compound 3-4 methylene-dioxy-methamphetamine, or MDMA. Other compounds
found to be dangerous have sometimes been sold under the same name,
and other nicknames include "X," "XTC," and
"Adam."

Current law classifies any possession of Ecstasy as a third-degree
drug offense in which convicts face five years in prison, a sentence
that is rarely meted out for first-time offenders. The current law
sets no variety in penalties according to volume of the drug seized,
so offenders caught with 10 pills or 10,000 pills face the same charge.

Whitman said she wants the tougher law in place before the Legislature
takes its summer break in two weeks and believes she can get it since
there has been little resistance to date among lawmakers eager to
toughen drug laws.

"It is sufficient to say that the impact of Ecstasy is huge, but this
is a drug that is just starting to come on the market, starting to
grow, so I believe it is an opportunity that we have now, a window of
opportunity, to start to get control of this," the
governor said.

Ocean County Prosecutor E. David Millard said the use of Ecstasy had a
profound influence last summer in areas of the New Jersey shore
popular with teens, including alcohol-free dance clubs that cater to
the under-21 set.

"Use was substantial, and in many instances the entire club scene was
changing and evolving, in effect being built around the use of
Ecstasy," Millard said.

Assistant Attorney General Paul Zoubek said local police have reported
that some club owners appear to be tolerating or catering to Ecstasy
crowds by stocking huge supplies of bottled water, since the drug
creates dehydration and sometimes a fever. He said Ecstasy users can
also be detected by their fondness for infant pacifiers and oversized
lollipops since the drug often prompts users to grind their teeth.

The proposed law would maintain the third-degree offense only for
those caught with less than half an ounce, and those caught with
between half an ounce and five ounces would face a second-degree
offense punishable by 10 years in prison. There are generally 100
pills or doses per ounce, Zoubek said.

The bill would also provide for warnings to parents and teen-agers
through the state Health and Education departments about the risks of
Ecstasy. The warning will include letters home and posters for schools
and health facilities.

Morris County Prosecutor John Dangler, president of the state
prosecutors association, said all counties have been reporting
increases in the drug, especially among teens at liquor-free clubs and
the spontaneous concerts or music festivals known as
"raves."

More than 20 people, many of them teen-agers, were hospitalized two
weeks ago for drug abuse after an all-night rave at the South Jersey
Expo Center in Pennsauken. Police said Ecstasy was among the drugs
detected and two arrests were made for possession of the drug.

Dangler said an outdoor rave concert in Morris County last year drew
thousands of teens from several states, and that 12 were hospitalized
in critical condition after using Ecstasy or similar drugs.

And Terrence Farley, first assistant prosecutor of Ocean County, said
a 17-year-old girl died last summer after tripping on Ecstasy for
several days. Farley said the girl was injured after falling from a
moving car and died of brain damage from an exceedingly high
temperature.