PARENTS TOLD TO DISCUSS ECSTASY WITH KIDS

WASHINGTON - Kate Patton had never heard of Ecstasy before the night
of Nov. 14, 1999. That's when two police officers came to her home in
suburban Chicago to tell her that her 23-year-old daughter, Kelley,
was dead. She had overdosed on Ecstasy.

Patton joined anti-drug advocates Thursday at a news conference
announcing new TV, radio, newspaper and Internet ads aimed at
encouraging parents to talk to their children about Ecstasy - known as
the "Hug Drug," "X" or "E."

Parents must become "information junkies when it comes to knowing all
that they can know about the drugs that will cross the paths of their
children," said Patton, who wore a button with a picture of her
smiling daughter.

The ad campaign is sponsored by the Partnership for a Drug-Free
America, a nonprofit organization working to discourage substance
abuse among young people.

The organization released a survey in which 92 percent of parents
interviewed said they had heard about Ecstasy, and an overwhelming
majority said they saw the drug as a great risk. But despite that
finding, only one in four said they had talked a lot with their
children about Ecstasy.

Parents are far more likely to discuss cigarettes, alcohol, pot or
drugs in general with their kids, the survey found.

"Most parents remain surprisingly unfazed, unmotivated, and
non-responsive to the threat of Ecstasy," said Steve Pasierb, the
organization's president.

Pasierb said parents may be less inclined to broach the subject of
Ecstasy because they don't know as much about it, since it's a newer
drug.

Ecstasy is a synthetic drug considered part hallucinogen and part
amphetamine that has been linked to brain, heart and kidney damage. It
became popular over the past decade at dance parties known as "raves"
for the energy and euphoria it gives users.

The television ads will run nationwide and on cable channels such as
MTV or Comedy Central that are popular with kids. Cable provider
Comcast is also providing $50 million worth of air time over three
years.

For the partnership's study, 1,228 parents nationwide were surveyed in
face-to-face interviews. The study, which was conducted by the New
York-based RoperASW market research firm, had a margin of error of
plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.