'E' TO EASE GRIEF OF CANCER

ECSTASY is to be tested to see if it can ease the final days of cancer
sufferers.

AmericaA's Food and Drug Administration has approved a pilot study amid
reports the mind-bending party drug can lessen the fears of terminally ill
patients and quell thoughts of suicide.

Psychiatrist Dr John Halpern, who is leading the study, said: A"End of life
issues are getting more and more attention, and yet there are very few
options for patients who are facing death.A"

He said some sufferers had claimed they found it easier to talk to friends
and family about death and other sensitive subjects after taking ecstasy.

Twelve patients in Boston are due to undergo tests in the spring.

Already South Carolina researchers are studying the effects of ecstasy on
20 patients suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

The clubbersA' drug is known to increase energy and induce feelings of
euphoria.

But it can also sharply increase body temperature, leading to kidney and
heart failure, and even death.