PROPOSED DRUG BILL PANDERS TO THE PUBLIC

To the editor:

As reported in the Intel-Journal on August 1, a Bill proposed by Sen. Jake
Corman of Centre County would cause Ecstasy dealers to face the same
penalties as heroin dealers. This is another example on the part of an
elected official of either inexcusable ignorance or pandering to the public.

According to the federal agency SAMSHA, only nine deaths were reported where
Ecstasy was involved during 1998, and other drugs were found along with
Ecstasy in six of the nine. Compare that with 110,640 deaths from legal
alcohol in 1996!

Ecstasy (MDMA) is a semi-synthetic drug patented by Merck Pharmaceutical
Company in 1914 and abandoned for 60 years. In the late 1970s and early
1980s psychiatrists and psychotherapists in the US used it to facilitate
psychotherapy.

Ecstasy's effects last 3 to 6 hours. It is a mood elevator that produces
feelings of empathy, openness and well-being. People who take it at all
night "rave" dances say they enjoy dancing and feeling close to others. It
does not produce violence or physical addiction.

As reported in 1996 by C. M. Milroy and others in Vol. 49 of the Journal of
Clinical Pathology, Ecstasy slightly raises body temperature. This is
potentially lethal in hot environments where there is vigorous dancing and
the lack of adequate fluid replacement. Deaths are preventable with simple
harm reduction techniques such as having free water available and rooms
where people can rest and relax.

Deaths from adulterated drugs are another consequence of a zero tolerance
approach. The drug should be tested for purity to minimize the risk from
adulterated drugs by those who consume it.

I am a parent of five and grandfather of three. I assure you that I would
much prefer to have youngsters dancing and talking all night than swigging
six packs of beer, driving while intoxicated, and making poor judgments
under the influence of alcohol. Those who equate benign Ecstasy with
dangerous heroin should recall the dangerous practices of their own
generation.

For additional information, interested parties should visit
http://www.DanceSafe.org and http://www.drugwarfacts.org .

Sincerely,

Robert E. Field, Co-Chair, Common Sense for Drug Policy,

Lancaster, PA