DRUGS SPILL ACROSS BORDER

Ecstasy-Meth Pills

Canadian-made ecstasy pills laced with crystal meth are being dumped
into the U.S., prompting the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy to issue a warning yesterday.

"Certainly we are very concerned about this combo product coming
south," said a top official from the Washington office who asked not
to be named. "Since this product is popular among the young, it's out
there near schools and neighbourhoods. We need people to know this
drug is much more dangerous."

More than 55 per cent of the ecstasy samples seized in the U.S. last
year contained methamphetamine, according to the policy office.

Drug enforcement authorities in the U.S. have been working with the
RCMP to learn of the origins of the ecstasy-meth combo pills, he
said. Both countries have had labs analyze recent drug seizures of the pills.

The drug combination of methamphetamine and ecstasy can have severe
health consequences, as both have toxic effects on the brain,
according to the U.S. policy office. Together, the drugs can
interfere with the body's ability to regulate temperature, leading to
hyperthermia - which can result in liver, kidney, cardiovascular
system failure and death.

The potential for a life-threatening or fatal overdose is further
increased when meth-laced ecstasy is combined with alcohol.

Law enforcement agencies along the U.S.-Canada border report large
increases in the flow of ecstasy from Canada into the U.S.

In 2003, 568,220 dosage units of ecstasy were seized in the northern
border states; in 2006, more than 5.4 million dosage units were seized.