'CLUB DRUG' GUIDELINES

Sir,

Mr Robert Sharpe (letter, March 11) writes that "Ecstasy overdoses are
invariably the result of deadly toxins sold as Ecstasy". This is part of a
wider myth of the "bad batch" that is regrettably perpetuated whenever an
Ecstasy death is reported in some sections of the media.

I recently retired as head of the drugs intelligence unit in the Forensic
Science Service (FSS). Of the thousands of Ecstasy tablets examined by the
FSS over many years, no case of a "deadly toxin" was ever found. A number
of other substances are passed off as Ecstasy but these substitutes/fakes
pose no more of a health hazard than Ecstasy itself.

This situation is not only true for the UK, but also applies to the US,
where most of the Ecstasy consumed originates from clandestine laboratories
in Europe. To blame alleged contaminants for the mortality and morbidity
associated with the misuse of Ecstasy is misleading. It suggests that if
only we could get pure Ecstasy things would be all right. However, the
pharmacological and toxicological evidence points to the drug itself as the
main contributory factor in Ecstasy-related deaths.

Yours sincerely,

LESLIE A. KING (Principal scientific adviser),

DrugScope, 32-36 Loman Street, SE1 0EE

lesk@drugscope.org.uk