MORE TEENS CHOOSE ECSTASY

Party Drug Linked To Rooftop Suicide Scare

She toed the edge of the roof, threatening to jump. She stood up, sat down,
waving her arms and dangling her legs as police negotiators tried to talk
her down.

On Wednesday afternoon, a 15-year-old Hamilton girl who later told police
she had taken ecstasy held the downtown core at bay for three hours before
she climbed down on her own.

The teen was safe, but she left lingering questions about ecstasy, a
so-called designer drug that in recent months has moved beyond the rave
party scene to the everyday streets of Hamilton, police and youth workers
say.

"In the past year and a half, we've seen the start of people seeking ecstasy
(as) their drug of choice," said Catherine McPherson-Doe, executive director
of Alternatives for Youth, a Hamilton out-patient treatment program.

Where many teens once used it as an occasional weekend drug at raves and
dance parties, some are now taking it much more frequently any day of the
week.

For people dealing with youths who abuse drugs and alcohol, those increasing
numbers on the street mean they're seeing more teenagers seeking treatment
for abuse of ecstasy, McPherson-Doe said.

Among the 800 youth between the ages of 13 and 22 who receive treatment each
year with her group, marijuana, alcohol and now ecstasy are the most
prevalent problems.

"It's certainly becoming a much more popular drug," said Detective Paul
Henderson of Hamilton police's vice and drugs investigations unit.

In the past year, Henderson said, officers are finding an increasing number
of ecstasy pills when they break up marijuana grow houses and crack houses.

It's being made in basements and garages around the city in what police call
clandestine labs -- illegal operations using chemicals "you could find in a
Grade 9 classroom," Henderson said.

It's an important status switch for the drug that usually comes in pill
form. While health experts aren't sure how addictive ecstasy is, they do
know of the range of damaging effects it has on the body, including death.

Confusion, panic, paranoia and insomnia can linger for days after one use.
Hallucinations can happen along with bouts of depression and anxiety.

Ecstasy, the street name for methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), is
marketed to teenagers by dealers, said Henderson.

And there are more dealers who sell only ecstasy, another sign of its
growth.

"It's as easy to get on the street as marijuana or coke," he said.

Part of the appeal to teens is in the packaging. Pills are often small and
come in bright colours with brand logos and cartoons printed on them.

"They think, 'How can a little pill with Tweety Bird on it kill me?' "
Henderson said.

But it's rarely just ecstasy. Pills are often laced with other drugs, such
as methamphetamine or cocaine, but dealers tell buyers it's pure ecstasy.

"The kids who are taking this stuff have no idea what they're taking," he
said.

While the teenager from the incident Wednesday told police she had taken
ecstasy, it's not known if she had taken any other drugs or alcohol.

McPherson-Doe said ecstasy alone would not make someone want to commit
suicide.

"There's not a correlation between substance use and suicidal threats," she
said, adding that she would not say whether her agency has dealt with the
teenager before.

Young people who abuse drugs and alcohol are usually attempting to deal with
another abuse or trauma in their lives, McPherson-Doe said.

It's those issues that might force teenagers to think about killing
themselves, not the use of the drug itself.