ECSTASY USE COMMON, DRUG EXPERTS REPORT

Parents see Ecstasy as a fairly exotic, hard-to-get drug that their children
almost certainly never have tried.

But teens see Ecstasy as a fairly common, easy-to-get drug.

And 12 percent of teens say they have tried it.

That disconnect should be a wake-up call for parents in Michigan and
elsewhere, drug experts say.

"Teenagers I talk to keep telling me their parents don't have a clue," says
Ken Krygel, a former police officer who specializes in tracking drug trends
in metro Detroit. "Ecstasy is in school, in the Goth movement, at parties."
He said that pairing Ecstasy with the impotence drug Viagra -- is an
increasing trend in the state.

A survey released last week by Partnership for a Drug-Free America found
that only 1 percent of parents believed their children had used Ecstasy, and
41 percent believed it was hard to get. Meanwhile, 3 of 4 teens said Ecstasy
is not hard to get -- and 2.8 million have tried it.

Ecstasy is a synthetic chemical that looks like a fat aspirin. It causes a
4- to 6-hour high that has the characteristics of a cross between
amphetamines and LSD. Users report overwhelming euphoria and energy as the
drug, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, opens the gates of serotonin in the
brain. It's often called the "love drug."

Public awareness has grown since 1998. Nearly 93 percent of parents and
teens are aware of Ecstasy now. In fact, 5 percent of parents have tried it
themselves, the survey found.

The Regional Poison Control Center at Children's Hospital of Michigan in
Detroit reported 35 Ecstasy overdose cases between January 1 and September 5
this year. Seventeen involved youths under 19, and two cases were
life-threatening. Some cases involved people who had combined Ecstasy with
alcohol, another chemical called GHB or prescription drugs.

People admitted for Ecstasy overdoses had more serious medical complications
than people admitted for other drug overdoses, statistics show.

The number of Ecstasy-related emergency room visits, however, is not growing
in metro Detroit, says Dr. Susan Smolinske, director of the poison control
center.

"I guess the concern would be over how serious it is... considering the
disturbing studies showing that a single dose may cause permanent damage to
nerve endings in the brain," she said.

A growing body of research at the National Institute for Drug Abuse
indicates Ecstasy may kill the nerve endings that transmit serotonin, an
important neuro-transmitter that helps regulate mood.

Ecstasy use has few signs. Symptoms parents see may be vague -- unusual
displays of love and affection, jaw pain, teeth grinding, dizziness, nausea,
depression.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America plans to intensify its advertising
campaign against Ecstasy, despite criticism that public education has little
effect on drug use. Advertising worked in the 1980s to alert the public to
the lethal dangers of cocaine.

If you have specific questions about Ecstasy, call the National
Clearinghouse on Alcohol and Drug Information, 866-982-3228 anytime.