POPULAR CLUB DRUG ECSTASY FINDS ITS WAY TO FORT MADISON

Note: Fictitious names have been given to two FMHS students
as a condition of their cooperation with this story.

Do you like to dance?

Or more specifically, do you like to rave? If you've never been to a
rave, imagine this: Music without melody pounds through your body as
you squirm through the wriggling mass of people on the dance floor.

The party makes your adrenaline flow like crazy. You also can't help
but notice the people.

They are so much different than the teenagers you see at school every
day. You walk past a girl with spiky pink hair and piercings all over
her body. You see a guy to your left pop a tablet into his mouth and
swallow.

People are throwing their bodies violently to the beat of the
throbbing bass. Throughout the night and into the morning, teens and
young adults dance nonstop. How is this possible?

The answer is simple: drugs are everywhere. "Club drugs" are being
sold every ten seconds.

Eager hands snatch the drugs up, paying almost fifteen bucks for each
Tylenol-sized tablet.

You may be thinking, "That kind of thing never happens in our dinky
town." However, you'd only be half right.

Though Fort Madison, Iowa, may not be the site of these all-night
raves, the community has been introduced to a club drug formerly
contained in the big city streets of Chicago and New York. Its long,
tongue-twisting name is methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA. Its
street names are XTC, X, Adam, Clarity, Essence, or Lover's Speed, and
its well-known name is Ecstasy. Party animals are attracted to Ecstasy
because of its ability to provide its users with warm, tingly
sensations and the manic energy to dance until the sun comes up.

Chemists created Ecstasy, or MDMA, in 1912 as an appetite suppressant,
but it never became popular.

Later, in the 1970's, psychiatrists tried MDMA in psychotherapy
treatment, but many doctors found its effectiveness limited.

In 1986, the government classified MDMA as a Schedule One illicit drug
with no medical value, and a federal conviction for possession of
2,800 grams (about 940 tablets) now brings a maximum of five years in
prison.

Since the 1980s, Ecstasy has become the recreational drug of choice
for rave-goers and thousands of others who just "want to have fun."

Jack*, a Fort Madison High School senior, says that Ecstasy is no
longer just a "big city" drug. "It's everywhere," he discloses.

Jack has used Ecstasy since his sophomore year in high
school.

He says that his friends introduced him to the drug at a local party.
"You get really happy as soon as it kicks in," Jack says with a grin,
"You just have a good time." Jack admits that Ecstasy is not the only
drug he's tried. Marijuana and acid, along with alcohol, are a few
other drugs that he has tried.

Ethan*, also a FMHS student, tried Ecstasy for the first time this
year. He sums up Ecstasy's effects like this, "It has, like, stages.
It just keeps getting better and better."

In this area, Ecstasy is one of the hardest drugs to find, according
to Jack and Ethan. Jack explains that Ecstasy doesn't come from Fort
Madison, rather, people get it elsewhere and bring it here. On the
local market, Ecstasy tablets cost about $30 apiece.

However, in big cities, Ecstasy is more plentiful and costs less,
especially at raves.

Ecstasy tablets can have hundreds of different markings on them,
including the Olympic rings, the Calvin Klein logo, smiley faces, and
the Superman symbol.

Jack says that on average, he takes Ecstasy once every six
months.

He would probably take it more often, but the price is what causes him
to back down. "It's so expensive," he grumbles, as Ethan nods his head
in agreement.

The two explain that they feel so much better when doing Ecstasy. They
claim that the drug heightens their sensations toward light and touch.
"You like bright colors, you like lots of light," Jack describes.
"Like, sometimes, when people touch you and stuff like that, you feel
tingles." Ecstasy also increases sensitivity toward sexual
stimulation. The two guys say that mixing different kinds of club
drugs (such as ketamine and GHB) with Ecstasy enhances the drug's
effects. Jack also claims that the best part about using Ecstasy is
going to sleep while still on the drug. "You have the best dreams.

I don't think I've had a nightmare since I started taking Ecstasy."
Though many Ecstasy users say the drug makes them feel wonderful,
these feelings are temporary.

In addition, there are often side effects. Research shows that these
physical effects, which can last for weeks after taking the drug,
include muscle tension, nausea, blurred vision, fainting spells,
chills or sweating, and involuntary teeth-grinding and jaw-clenching.
Other side effects include a significant increase in heart rate and
blood pressure.

The effects of Ecstasy last for about four to five hours after
swallowing a pill, and according to Jack and Ethan, the drug takes
about 45 minutes to "kick in." Ethan believes that Ecstasy isn't
dangerous even when taking more than one pill at a time. "I know
someone who took two. It just boosted it (the high), made him feel
better, and it (the high) just lasted longer." Research has shown,
however, that Ecstasy can be extremely dangerous in high doses.

It can cause an increase in body temperature, leading to muscle
breakdown and kidney and cardiovascular system failure.

Ecstasy can also cause some users to have heart attacks, strokes, and
seizures.

Ethan, like many other Ecstasy users, claims that the drug makes him
laid-back, not prone to fighting or lashing out. This nonaggressive
effect is different from other drugs, such as cocaine and heroin,
which have been shown to provoke violence and are commonly associated
with theft and abuse. "You still have common sense," Jack explains
about taking Ecstasy, "It's not a violent drug." This may account for
the lack of enforcement action at many of the big city raves occurring
across the country.

According to a recent USA Today article, because Ecstasy and other
club drugs do not produce violence reactions, police departments say
that raiding raves is an inefficient use of their resources. They
mainly concentrate on street-corner drugs because of their link to
crime.

Many police departments would much rather arrest a teenager who robs a
convenience store, rather than arrest someone who is using a drug that
doesn't promote violence.

However, currently, police departments have now begun cracking down on
Ecstasy use because of its potentially life-threatening health hazards.

Yet Ecstasy is a very violent drug - in terms of what it can do to the
human body. According to a report in USA Today, prolonged use of the
drug causes results that are much worse than the initial side effects.
The stimulant effects of Ecstasy, which enable dancers to dance for
extended periods, may lead to dehydration, hypertension, and heart or
kidney failure.

Not only that, but repeated use of the drug eventually kills off part
of the nerve in the brain that releases serotonin, the chemical that
controls sleep, memory, sexual function, mood, and appetite.

A study by Johns Hopkins University compared the brain scans of 14
Ecstasy users with non-users and found nerve damage, which remains for
at least seven years.

Teens produce more serotonin than they need, but some of those nerves
are lost with aging.

Ecstasy users actually age themselves prematurely and they can have
clinical depression and sleep disturbances down the road. Ecstasy also
impairs learning, which is particularly bad for the teenagers and
young adults who are the prime users of the drug.

Though Jack and Ethan have mostly praise for Ecstasy, they understand
that the drug does have long-term implications. When asked whether a
person could get addicted to Ecstasy, Jack replied, "Yeah, I'd say you
can." He also understands that Ecstasy can cause brain damage. "Yeah,
I heard that. It was on 20/20 the other night," he says. "A friend of
mine saw it too and made me swear I'd never do it again."