ECSTASY PARTIER NEAR DEATH

24-Year-Old Woman Ingested Seven Pills On New Year's Eve

A 24-year-old Abbotsford woman is in hospital near death after
consuming more than seven ecstasy pills in a New Year's Eve drug binge.

It's the second ecstasy overdose in just over a week in the community.

Several days before Christmas, Abbotsford teen Cheryl McCormack, 17,
was rushed to hospital in critical condition and later died after
taking ecstasy with three friends during a sleepover.

In the latest case, Abbotsford police Const. Ian MacDonald said, a
group of four friends aged 23 to 31 partied for seven hours starting
New Year's Eve, with each friend admit-ting to ingesting between four
to seven pills of ecstasy.

The group, all recreational users of the drug, returned to a
residence in the 33700-block George Ferguson Way at 4 a.m. and took a
final pill.

The 24-year-old woman, who friends said took more than seven pills,
started to panic. Her friends did not call for help until 6 a.m. when
she fell unconscious, he said.

"I can say she is in intensive care in critical condition and she is
battling for her life now," MacDonald said.

Police are warning the public to avoid the risky party drug.

The teens at the sleepover apparently were using ecstasy to lose
weight, and Cheryl's friends were fine although they took the same drug.

MacDonald said police are worried that the use of ecstasy might be
rising. However, it's not believed that "dirty pills" are the cause
of overdoses.

"We aren't satisfied that we are dealing with a bad batch," he said.

In both cases the groups sourced the drug through dial-a-dope networks.

"We are looking at the source and supply in both instances," he said.

Cheryl's family has set up a bursary in their daughter's name, hoping
to influence youth to make positive choices.

Provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall told The Province on
Monday he knows of five recent overdoses in B.C. - two of which were fatal.

Ecstasy is commonly known as MDMA and is often laced with other drugs
such as ketamine, methamphetamine and cocaine.

"You really don't know what the dosage is or what the components of
the drug are. Taking more than one is really inviting problems," Kendall said.

Canada ranks third in the world in seizures of "ecstasy-group
substances," according to a 2011 UN report.

THE FACTS ABOUT ECSTASY

What is it:

Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, is both an amphetamine-like stimulant
and tranquillizing substance. It has a bad reputation for being cut
with chemicals that are harmful, such as rat poison, and substances
such as caffeine, methamphetamine, ephedrine, ketamine, bicarbonate
of soda and glucose.

Pure MDMA is only available in powder form, says an item posted on answers.com.

Why take it:

It's popular for use at all-night dance parties or raves to ward off

exhaustion. Users report having a sense of elevated self-confidence
and the hallucinogenic effects include feelings of peacefulness,
acceptance and empathy.

Dangers of it:

In high doses, ecstasy can cause a sharp increase in body
temperature, leading to dehydration, muscle breakdown, kidney failure
or heart failure. Mixed with alcohol, it can be more harmful.

Ecstasy can cause confusion, depression, sleep problems and anxiety
that may last for weeks.

- - Source: healthlinkbc.ca