OPP WARN: ECSTASY IN SCHOOLS

Police are warning residents to be on the lookout for ecstasy, a
drug marketed to youth.

Police arrested two teens suspected of using the drug on December
28. The pair were found in downtown Bracebridge just before 3 a.m.
One, a 19-year-old Gravenhurst man, had the drug in his possession
and was charged, according to Bracebridge OPP. The other,
a 15-year-old from Bracebridge, was warned and taken home to his parents.

The drug, also known as E, Adam and 'the love drug' is usually
peddled to youth, according to Bracebridge OPP Constable Ted Smith.

"Yeah, ecstasy is available in Muskoka," Smith said. "Certainly it's
being reported now by students who know someone who is using or has used it."

Smith has taught drug education classes in local schools for the
past three years and said during a recent session with grade nine
and 10 students, an estimated third of students reported knowing a
student who has taken ecstasy.

"You do these presentations with these kids and when you put the
ecstasy tablets on the [video] screen, in half the cases someone
goes 'whoa, hey man, that's cool,'" he said. "That's what the people
who deal this stuff want. It's simply about making money. They don't
care about the well-being of the people taking it."

The tablets come in many colours and shapes designed to appeal to youth.

Tablets seized during the December arrest in Bracebridge were blue
with red hearts and a Superman crest pressed on them. Each tablet is
worth $10 to $20 on the street, Smith said.

"I want parents to be aware it is here and talk to their kids about
it," he said.

Even at low doses, ecstasy can cause users to grind their teeth and
increase blood pressure, or can lead to panic attacks, nausea,
vomiting and convulsions. After use, users can experience paranoia,
depression, sleep problems and memory loss. It can also lead to
kidney or heart failure, strokes, seizures and liver damage.
Research has shown that use can damage brain cells and chemistry
negatively affecting learning and memory.

Several Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes Secondary School students
hanging out downtown on Wednesday said they have seen the drug or
know someone who has used it.

"I know a lot of people who did it," said Samantha Bogart, 15. "They
do it on weekends and stuff and then they come back to school."

It's not the most prevalent drug among teens, but a common one, said
her friend Claire Poole, 15.

A grade 12 student, who did not want to give his name, said he's
seen ecstasy at parties while his classmate, who also asked his name
be withheld, said he's never seen the pills, but knows others who
have used it. Both teens said cocaine is much more common.

"Cocaine's easier to find than anything," said one of the teens. "We
can find it all over the place. Look on the streets. You'll find
someone with it."

Ecstasy often contains unknown drugs or fillers such as the highly
addictive and dangerous drug methamphetamine, also known as crystal
ice or speed, according to the OPP. While usually sold as a tablet
that can be swallowed, it can also be crushed and snorted.

Preliminary data from the office of the Chief Coroner suggests 41
deaths have been associated to ecstasy use between 1999 and 2004 in
Ontario. A 2005 Ontario Drug Use Survey reveals 8.1 per cent of
grade 12 students report using the drug.

Police are asking that anyone with information about local use or
dealing of ecstasy contact Bracebridge OPP or Crime Stoppers.