FIRST ECSTACY, THEN OBLIVION

Ecstasy can kill you. Can that message be driven home any more acutely
than it has in communities in B.C. and Alberta? In the past five
weeks, the popular man-made drug has taken several lives and is
responsible for another that hangs in the balance. The drugs were
laced with paramethoxy-metamphetamine.

On Nov. 27, Tyler Miller, 20, took ecstasy. He was a gifted Abbotsford
musician and student, with great career plans. It's all over. He was
dead in eight hours.

On Dec. 19, 17-year-old Cheryl McCormack of Abbotsford ingested
ecstasy with some friends - ostensibly as a weight-loss aid. She
became unresponsive and, three days later, she died. She was a bright,
fun and athletic teen.

On New Year's Eve, a 24-year-old Abbotsford woman engaged in
"recreational" use of ecstasy with three friends. By 6 a.m., she was
in critical condition in hospital, where she remains.

The grief and suffering of the family and friends of these victims is
excruciating. In that context, it is such cruel irony, considering
ecstasy is known for inducing euphoria and a sense of well-being. It's
chemical Russian roulette. You can feel good and survive, perhaps many
times. Or, you can end up dead or on life support. It doesn't take
prolonged use or abuse of ecstasy to court disaster. Ecstasy, or MDMA,
is notorious for being laced with other drugs, including ketamine,
methamphetamine and cocaine. Depending on the circumstances, the
physiology of the user and other factors, the mix can be lethal. It
seems an insane risk, yet ecstasy is popular among a segment of young
people who have so much to lose. Please - parents, teachers, police -
speak with your children, your students, your young contacts. Teens,
counsel your peers who may be tempted to use ecstasy or are already using it.

Give them the cold facts. Implore them to think, to make good decisions.