MAN CHARGED OVER LEGAL DRUG

Allegedly Sold It As Ecstasy

West Bend (Associated Press)

A teenager is accused of selling a drug called AMT, even though state law
does not yet ban the substance.

Lucas M. Mueller, 18, of Mayville allegedly sold an undercover officer 50
tablets purported to be the illegal drug Ecstasy for $800 in November 2002.

Investigators with the county's Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Group
found no traces of Ecstasy but did find the new drug AMT.

Mueller was in Washington County Circuit Court Wednesday on a charge of
being party to the crime of delivering an imitation controlled substance.

AMT -- short for alpha-methyltryptamine -- is one of the newest designer
drugs available over the Internet and was labeled a Schedule I drug by the
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration under an emergency order April 4.

DEA Special Agent Ed Childress said Schedule I drugs are those that have no
medical purpose and a high propensity for abuse, such as marijuana, heroin
and LSD.

Mueller did not break state law by possessing the AMT but broke the law by
selling it as Ecstasy, said Lt. Bob Konstanz of the drug unit.

"There are no state laws regarding AMT, but if he was arrested by a federal
agency, he could be facing federal charges because of the recent change in
the classification of the drug," Konstanz said.

AMT can cause hallucinations, vomiting, headaches and tension. Federal
authorities say users often take extra doses because of the long time the
drug takes to affect the body, eventually causing an overdose.

Mueller could face up to six months in jail if convicted. He returns to
court July 9.