ECSTASY USE BY TEENS LEVELS OFF BUT FEW SEE RISK IN EXPERIMENTING

NEW YORK - Teen use of Ecstasy has leveled off, but most American
youngsters see no great risk in experimenting with the drug, according to a
study released today by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

The partnership's annual study found that 45 percent of youths ages 12 to
18 saw a great risk in trying Ecstasy once or twice -- more than the 42
percent who felt that way in last year's survey, but still the minority
opinion.

Statistics tell a different story: In 2001, there were 5,542 emergency room
epi-sodes related to Ecstasy use, up from just 253 in 1994.

The number of youths using the drug remained stable: 9 percent in this
survey, compared with 10 percent a year before. A partnership survey
released five months ago found that only 1 percent of American parents
thought their child had ever tried Ecstasy.

"Our latest reading of the Ecstasy market offers a more encouraging
picture, but does not -- and should not -- suggest that we have turned the
corner on this drug," said Steve Pasierb, president and chief executive of
the partnership.

Other findings of the 15th annual survey:

* 77 percent of teens think there is a great risk of Ecstasy addiction, up
from 73 percent.

* 76 percent think there is a great risk involved in using Ecstasy regularly.

* 35 percent who attended a "rave" had used Ecstasy, compared with 5
percent of all other adolescents.

The survey also found that marijuana remained the most widely used illegal
drug, with 40 percent of youths saying they had tried it at some point.

As for legal drugs, 53 percent reported alcohol use in the last year, down
from a high of 63 percent in 1997. And 28 percent reported smoking a
cigarette in the last month, down from a high of 42 percent in 1998.

The study was conducted among 7,084 teens nationwide, with a margin of
error of plus or minus 1.5 percentage points. Information was collected
April-June 2002.