WARNINGS CITE DANGER OF 'CLUB DRUGS'

Officials From Local And National Drug Agencies Say Lack Of Uniform
Dosages Can Make Pills Deadly

The death of a young woman who took a fashionable designer drug on New
Year's Eve should be a wake-up call for all parents.

That's the advice of the Rev. Ed Carter, director of communications
and marketing for the Community Drug Board and pastor of the First
Congregational Church of Tallmadge.

``One of my greatest frustrations in speaking to groups is the denial
I encounter with parents that `it can't happen to my kids,' '' Carter
said. ``My frustration is trying to get the word out about how major
an issue we have in the drug scene.''

Eighteen-year-old Heather Woodard, a Youngstown State University
freshman from Rootstown, died Saturday several hours after taking a
drug believed to be Ecstasy at a party in Akron. A male friend has
been charged with corrupting another with drugs.

Ecstasy, which usually sells for $10 to $25 a dose, is one of a group
of substances known as club drugs and popularized by young adults at
all-night parties, or raves.

In December, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a component of the
National Institutes of Health, reported that teen use of club drugs is
increasing.

An agency survey found that the use of Ecstasy had increased by 55
percent among high school sophomores and seniors.

``Club drugs are not harmless fun drugs,'' said institute director
Alan L. Leshner in a letter to drug abuse experts around the country.

``While users of club drugs may think they're taking them simply for
energy to keep on dancing or partying, research shows these drugs can
have long-lasting negative effects on the brain that can alter memory
function and motor skills.''

When these drugs are combined with alcohol, they become even more
dangerous and potentially life-threatening, he said.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, some of the club
drugs are:

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), also known as Ecstasy, XTC, X,
Adam, Clarity or Lover's Special. The drug is taken in a tablet or
capsule and its effects last three to six hours. The drug can produce
a significant increase in heart rate and blood pressure.

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), known as Grievous Bodily Harm, G, Liquid
Ecstasy, or Georgia Home Boy. The drug comes in clear liquid, white
powder, tablet and capsule form and is often used along with alcohol,
which makes it more dangerous. The drug is a central nervous system
depressant that can slow breathing and heart rate.

Methamphetamine, also known as speed or crank. It is a toxic addictive
stimulant that affects the central nervous system. The drug can be
smoked, snorted, injected or eaten.

Akron Police Lt. Tom Hanley of the Narcotics Bureau said he was not
aware of any arrests for dealing club drugs in Akron last year.

``We're not the front-runner in the drug world,'' Hanley said. ``This
stuff gets here after it gets to the bigger cities.''

Hanley said the club drugs that are being consumed in the Akron area
are probably coming from Mexico or California.

``It's not being produced in a regular lab,'' he said. ``The problem
is the final product is seldom pure and the potency of one capsule
will vary. That is where the danger comes in.''

Carter, of the Community Drug Board, said he believes young people who
use club drugs have no idea how dangerous they are.

``Few people have taken the time to educate themselves'' about the
danger of the drugs, he said. ``There is no way to tell the purity of
the drugs.''

Dr. Robert Liebelt, chief of addiction medicine for Summit County's
Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board, said club
drugs haven't been seen in great quantities in the Akron area.

With one of the drugs -- crystal meth -- is ``a very highly potent
stimulating drug. It can race your heart to the point of exhaustion,''
he said.

Users can become delusional and ``they think they are superman or
superwoman and can fly off the top of buildings, so suicide is
something we have to think about,'' he said.

The death of Heather Woodward was something Akron Police DARE Officer
Donnie Whitworth talked about during his drug education class
yesterday with fifth-graders at Firestone Park School.

Normally, DARE does not talk about club drugs to grade school pupils,
but an incident like this gets their attention.

``It was fresh and it was dramatic,'' he said.