BAD ECSTACY BATCH STAYS CLEAR OF CITY

A bad batch of ecstasy that felled three people in Calgary last weekend
doesn't appear to have hit Lethbridge streets.

Lethbridge city police still warn, however, that anyone dabbling with the
illegal drug is playing a dangerous game, regardless of its so-called
"quality".

The biggest risk for users is they have no way of knowing what they're
buying or the concentration of chemical it contains," said Staff Sgt. Colin
Catonio.

"You're literally buying poison."

Early Saturday morning in Calgary three men -- all in their early 20s --
were taken to hospital after reacting to the drug. All are expected to survive.

"We are seeing (ecstasy) periodically" in Lethbridge, said Catonio.
"Ecstasy is the new and big thing. It's damaging and people are having fun
with it, but we haven't had any overdoses that I'm aware of."

Ecstasy -- or methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as MDMA -- is a
synthetic chemical stimulant with hallucinogenic properties that usually
gives the user a feeling of euphoria. It causes a dramatic increase in the
user's heart rate, and those who use too much or have heart conditions can
suffer heart failure and die.

"What might seem like just a casual consumption of drugs may turn out in a
situation where you have to go to the hospital," he said.

The drug has been connected to the rave scene and is most popular among
users in their late teens to mid-20s. It's commonly available as tablets
which currently sell on the street for about $20 each.