ECSTASY AGONY

Abbotsford Parents Struggle With The Loss Of Their Only Son, Victim Of
An Ecstasy Overdose

Couple Share Their Story To Prevent More Deaths From
Drug

Tyler Miller, 20, had just finished making plans to attend the Art
Institute of Vancouver to become a music producer.

He was musically gifted and played the piano, guitar and drums. He
was also smart, having completed the International Baccalaureate
program at Abbotsford Collegiate, graduating in 2009.

Tyler worked as a barista at a Starbucks coffee shop in Abbotsford,
and his parents, Laurie Mossey and Russ Miller, had just bought him a
Honda Accord to make the trip to and from school a little easier.

He was a good kid, who had never been in any big trouble.

Ecstasy ended it all on Nov. 27, 2011.

Tyler, an only child, had told his parents he had go to work. They
found out later that instead he had been partying with friends in Aldergrove.

A text message broke the news: Tyler had taken ecstasy and was in
Langley Memorial Hospital.

He died eight hours later.

Laurie and Russ discovered that, sometime during the evening, Tyler
complained of overwhelming heat. His friends gave him a bag of frozen
peas to cool him down.

They were driving around town when Tyler became unresponsive, but the
friends assumed he was having a typical reaction to the drug. They
continued driving for a period before realizing something was seriously wrong.

That's all that Laurie and Russ know about that evening. Tyler's
friends won't talk about it, and Langley RCMP have not yet received
the results of toxicology tests.

Laurie and Russ are sharing Tyler's story as a warning to others that
ecstasy can kill.

They even tried to warn Tyler about it. Last summer, Laurie, who is a
drug and alcohol youth worker, came across postings that Tyler and
his friends had made on Facebook about buying ecstasy.

When she confronted him, he admitted that he used it, but only
recreationally. She insisted he enter counselling, which he completed
after six weeks.

"He told me he wasn't using anymore," Laurie said. "I did a drug test
on him and it came back clean. I believed him. He was a good boy."

The day before Tyler's death, they presented him with the car.

Now, they are reeling from not only Tyler's death but the other
ecstasy overdoses that have been reported. Cheryl McCormack, 17, died
on Dec. 22 after taking ecstasy for weight loss, and a 24-year-old
woman is in critical condition after ingesting the drug on New Year's Eve.

"It's killing us. It's just killing us. We can't understand why this
is happening. We just keep re-living this over and over," Laurie sobbed.

She said she has posted Facebook messages to Tyler's friends,
encouraging them to stop using the drug. Many of his friends have
supported her, and she wants others to get the message.

"There has to be a purpose for (Tyler's death). We're trying to save
lives by telling our story."

ECSTASY EFFECTS AND DANGERS

- - Ecstasy, or MDMA, is a "mood elevator" creating a relaxed, euphoric
state. MDMA releases the brain chemical serotonin, elevating mood and
acting as a short-term antidepressant.

- - It has become a popular recreational drug, commonly used at raves,
or dance parties.

- - Because ecstasy is man-made, its contents and quality can vary,
according to Health Canada.

- - It is sold as a tablet, capsule or powder. The tablets are often
stamped with a logo and are sold in different colours and shapes.

- - It is similar to stimulant drugs such as cocaine or methamphetamine
and can contain traces of other substances such as LSD, PCP or
methamphetamine, as well as soaps and detergents, the agency says.

- - The drug causes an increase in body temperature, blood pressure and
heart rate, which can lead to kidney or heart failure, strokes and
seizures, according to Health Canada.

- - According to some studies examining the effects of ecstasy, the
drug can cause neurotoxicity in the brain.

- - Long-term effects and neurological damage from ecstasy are not
fully known, although even proponents of ecstasy warn that taking
high doses and prolonged use represents elevated risk.

- - The drug can also cause anxiety, and depression, particularly when
effects begin to wear off. This may lead some users to engage in
increased use, or self-medicate to counter feelings of depression.

- - Ecstasy is listed in Schedule III of the Canadian Controlled Drugs
and Substances Act.

- - Possession, trafficking, possession for the purpose of trafficking,
production, importing, and exporting of ecstasy, and possession for
the purpose of exporting are illegal in Canada.