TEACH KIDS WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT DRUGS

Public service announcements on TV about the drug Ecstasy, sponsored by the
Partnership for a Drug-Free America, inform us that users take their lives
in their hands. They show images of young people passed out on dance floors
with oblivious, drug-addled revelers all around them. We hear voice-overs
of a coroner's report giving the gruesome details of an Ecstasy-related death.

As is often the case with this organization's campaigns (remember "This is
your brain on drugs" with a picture of two fried eggs?), the ads neglect to
mention anything that can be done to prevent death from occurring, save
complete abstinence.

Following the slogan coined by Nancy Reagan in the 1980s, the partnership
wants our kids to "just say no."

As a parent, I know that saying no to my daughter does not always work. It
sometimes encourages her to rebel.

The bottom line is this: Statistics show that Ecstasy use is on the rise,
year after year. The kids aren't saying no.

In the same way that most adults see the sense in teaching safe sex instead
of preaching sexual abstinence to teens, we need to adopt a more
enlightened approach to educating our young people about drugs.

A true public service message would tell kids: If you choose to use drugs,
here's how to be more safe:

. Mixing Ecstasy with other drugs or alcohol increases risk.

. Heatstroke is a major life-threatening concern with Ecstasy. Stay cool,
take plenty of breaks from dancing and drink water.

. Over-hydration is another danger. Drinking too much water while on
Ecstasy can cause serious, potentially fatal complications. Drink only
enough fluids to replace what is lost through sweating. A pint an hour is
plenty.

. "Less is more." Taking one tablet carries less risk than two and so on.
This also goes for frequency of use. People who use Ecstasy repeatedly risk
depression, panic attacks or other psychiatric complaints.

There are reports of correlation between high-dose repeated Ecstasy use and
poor performance on memory tests.

. Testing the contents of Ecstasy pills may reduce the risks associated
with impurities in tablets.

. As with all drugs, driving, operating machinery or making important
decisions (such as whether or not to have sex) should be deferred until sober.

Many government agencies are wary that giving honest information about
drugs "sends the wrong message" to today's youth.

Yet saying that a drug is dangerous or forbidden is simply not enough when
dealing with curious, novelty-seeking adolescents who often see themselves
as invulnerable.

- --Julie Holland, attending psychiatrist at Bellevue Hospital in New York,