NEW UNIVERSITY STUDY LINKS ECSTASY USE TO HARDER DRUGS

Rave clubgoers are twice as likely to use marijuana, cocaine and other
drugs if they currently use ecstasy, according to a recent university study.

The study, conducted by the university's Center for Substance Abuse
Research, found 89 percent of the 96 club patrons interviewed said they had
used methylenedioxy-methamphetamine - more commonly known as ecstasy - at
some point in their lives, and 20 percent said they had used ecstasy within
two days of the interview. Their reports were confirmed by saliva tests.
The study also found that 81 percent of the sample group had used
marijuana, and 51 percent had used powdered cocaine.

Ecstasy users also were more likely to have used crack cocaine,
methamphetamine, heroin and PCP than non-ecstasy users, according to the study.

Amelia Arria, one of the study's authors and deputy director of research at
CESAR, was surprised by the study's findings.

"We thought we would find that many people who use ecstasy choose it
because they perceive it to be less dangerous than other drugs. But our
findings suggest the opposite - that ecstasy users are more likely to be
multiple drug users who might need more intensive intervention ... We were
surprised at the magnitude of multiple drug use," Arria said in a recently
released statement.

Arria also authored a 1998 survey on drug use among university students
that found students who had used ecstasy were substantially more likely to
have lower grades than non-ecstasy users. The finding showed 14 percent of
ecstasy users had below a 2.5 grade point average, compared to 4 percent of
non-ecstasy users.

"Comprising 10 percent of the student population, it is clear that ecstasy
users constitute a group of students at high risk for drug-related
problems," the study reported.

Ecstasy users are at risk for memory loss, paranoia, depression, cardiac
complications and kidney failure. The U.S. Sentencing Commission last year
drastically increased penalties for selling ecstasy, making the punishment
for importing or selling ecstasy more severe than those for distributing
powder cocaine.

Ecstasy comes mainly from Belgium, Romania, the Netherlands and other
European countries, according to a report from the National Drug
Intelligence Center.

Ecstasy causes the brain to release serotonin, a neurotransmitter that
controls mood. Users often experience a state of euphoria, enhanced mental
and emotional clarity and heightened sensory perceptions.