ECSTASY DEALER JAILED DESPITE LAWYER'S PLEAS

A federal Department of Justice report detailing the dangers of ecstasy is
"inflammatory" and incites "moral panic," according to a defence lawyer.

Mark Wasyliw said there may be the odd death resulting from ecstasy but it
should not be viewed in the same light as hard drugs such as cocaine.

"You never hear of a prostitute selling herself for ecstasy, but you do
hear about crack whores," said Wasyliw.

"This is a suburban drug that rich teenagers ingest on the weekend and go
to parties and dance all night."

Wasyliw's comments came yesterday during the sentencing of a 20-year-old man.

Terrence Bercier was charged with trafficking in 2001 after police were
tipped off about a drug deal outside Club Regent. Bercier was arrested with
91 ecstasy tablets and a small amount of cocaine and marijuana.

Justice Daniel Kennedy of Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench sentenced Bercier
to 15 months in jail in addition to the six months he has already served.
Bercier was also convicted of possession of the proceeds of crime.

Much of the argument yesterday between the defence and Crown centered on
the dangers of ecstasy.

Federal prosecutor Anne Krahn said that in Britain, the number of ecstasy
deaths for people aged 15 to 24 are as high as 5.3 per 10,000 compared to
one per 10,000 for driving accidents.

That information was part of a report by researchers from the University of
Manitoba and University of Toronto.

Krahn said young people take the drug to give them energy and a feeling of
happiness. But there is a dark side to that temporary euphoria. Krahn said
that 10 per cent of the Caucasian population lacks the enzyme in their
kidneys that breaks down the drug.

"These people are really poisoning themselves," said Krahn.

The report said that ecstasy can cause blood clots in the heart, brain and
lungs and damage the liver. It also reduces sodium levels, which can lead
to kidney and heart failure.

Krahn said the drug can cause depression by creating a chemical imbalance
in the brain. And because it's manufactured in clandestine labs, there's no
way of knowing what you're taking, she said.

But Wasyliw argued that the ecstasy isn't addictive and its dangers were
overstated by the Crown.

In handing down his sentence, Kennedy noted that Bercier had a rough life.
Rejected by his family, he spent part of his youth in group homes and began
smoking marijuana at age 12.

However, Kennedy likened the ecstasy trade to selling poison-coated tablets.

Police found $440 in a front pouch of his hoody and another $450 hidden in
his underwear when he was arrested.