CONGRESS SEEKING STIFFER PENALTIES FOR TRAFFICKING 'ECSTASY'

WASHINGTON -- Citing a dramatic increase in the amount of the illegal
stimulant "ecstasy" imported into the United States, House members Thursday
supported stiffer penalties for trafficking in the drug.

The U.S. Customs service has seized 5.7 million tablets of the drug this
year, up from 500,000 in 1997.

About 84 percent of ecstasy is imported from Western Europe, where the raw
materials to make it are less tightly controlled than in the United States.
About 90 percent of the ecstasy distributed worldwide is from the
Netherlands and Belgium, officials say.

The drug's primary ingredient is the chemical MDMA, often mixed with other
drugs such as cocaine or heroin. The pill usually resembles an aspirin and
is often stamped with a symbol such as the internationally known Rolex or
Adidas trademarks.

Users say ecstasy produces intense feelings of peacefulness and empathy,
along with enhanced sensual pleasure and increased energy. It is usually
taken orally and lasts about four to six hours.

However, users risk permanent brain damage, along with depression, mood
swings, and memory loss, according to Lewis Rice Jr., special agent for the
Drug Enforcement Administration.

Similar bills in the House and Senate propose stricter penalties for those
caught importing and distributing ecstasy. Currently, such penalties are
much less harsh then the penalties for drugs such as LSD or
methamphetamines. They are more similar to the penalties for trafficking
marijuana.

Under the new legislation, penalties for distributing ecstasy would mirror
those associated with methamphetamine trafficking, Rep. Bill McCollum,
R-Fla., said at a hearing Wednesday of the House Judiciary subcommittee on
crime.

The House legislation would reduce the amount of the drug needed to earn a
mandatory five-year prison sentence from 8 kilograms (about 16.6 pounds or
28,570 tablets) to 4 kilograms, about 8.8 pounds.

"The single reason for the explosion of ecstasy that is being imported into
the U.S. is greed," McCollum said. "For an initial investment of $100,000,
a trafficker could realize a $5 million profit."

Rice said such profits are possible because of the very low cost of
producing the drug and its high market value.

"The cost of producing an MDMA tablet is estimated to be between 50 cents
and $1," Rice said, "Once the it reaches the United States, the wholesaler
will sell in bulk for about $6 to $8 a tablet, depending on the amount
purchased. The retailer then turns around and sells individuals tablets for
anywhere from $20 to $40 per pill."

McCollum said that the United States should help Belgium and the
Netherlands monitor the production of ecstasy within their borders.

"We need to stop the millions of tablets of ecstasy that are flowing into
our country every year," McCollum said. "Our legislative window of
opportunity is slowly closing for this year, and I hope that we can bring
the bill before our committee as soon as possible."