TEENAGERS OD

Overdoses of ecstasy and alcohol sent two local teen-age girls to hospital
recently as use of the drug becomes more prevalent among young people, RCMP
Const. Dean Maxwell says.

The most recent casualty was an 18-year-old girl, who was taken to St.
Joseph's Hospital at about midnight on May 17. She had overdosed on ecstasy
and drank a quantity of alcohol.

During an unrelated incident earlier in May, a teen-age girl was taken to
hospital suffering serious reactions to an overdose of ecstasy.

Incidents involving ecstasy, also known as "ex" or the "love drug", are
prevalent in the Valley and seem to come in waves, Maxwell said. "There
will be no seizures for a long time, and then there will be a lot of them
at once."

Ecstasy is the common name for Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA).
However, drugs sold on the street and alleged to be ecstasy are often
compounds of other chemicals.

Street drugs are often made by people who have little or no training in
chemistry, and work in hastily-improvised laboratories, and can be impure
and dangerous. Raw materials for ecstasy can be bought at most pharmacies.

Equipment for an improvised lab can easily be carried in the trunk of a car
and set up in a hotel room or other impromptu setting.

MDMA is most often taken orally, usually in pills, tablets or capsules,
according to police.It is popular among young people because it is
relatively inexpensive and produces a high which can last four to six
hours. Ecstasy elevates the body temperature up to 106 degrees (Fahrenheit)
and can triple the heart rate.

Symptoms include hyper-alertness, agitation, sweating and fatigue when the
user "crashes" after a high.