SURVEY FINDS TEEN-AGE USE OF ECSTASY RISING

National Drug Control Policy Director John Walters Meets Reporters At The
National Press Club In Washington Monday To Discuss Teen Use Of The Drug
Ecstasy. The Partnership For A Drug-Free America, An Anti-Drug Group, Began
A Campaign Monday Aimed At Cutting Back The Skyrocketing Use Of Ecstasy
After A Survey Revealed That Teen Ecstasy Use Rose 20 Percent Last Year And
Has Increased 71 Percent Since 1999.

WASHINGTON -- Ecstasy use is rising among American teen-agers, many of whom
are unaware of its dangers, an anti-drug group said Monday.

The Partnership for a Drug Free America said it is starting an advertising
campaign to warn teens about of the dangers of Ecstasy, which has been
linked to damage to the brain, heart and kidneys.

The group's annual survey found that overall drug use remained steady last
year except for Ecstasy, which became popular over the past decade at dance
parties known as raves. The number of teens who said they've ever tried the
drug rose by 20 percent last year and has increased 71 percent since 1999.

John Walters, director of the White House drug policy office, said
anti-drug officials are trying to counter an impression among teens that
Ecstasy is harmless.

Many of the ads in the new campaign feature the parents of Danielle Heird,
a 21-year-old Las Vegas woman who died after taking Ecstasy in 2000. She
was partying with friends and had taken the drug for only the third time in
her life, her parents said.

"We don't want your families to endure the heartbreak and pain we feel,"
said her mother, Elsa Heird, at a news conference.

But Mark A.R. Kleiman, director of the drug policy analysis program at the
University of California at Los Angeles, called the approach dishonest. He
said that while long-term use can be harmful, there is limited evidence
that a single use is damaging.

At the news conference, Dr. Glen Hanson, acting director of the National
Institute on Drug Abuse, said the danger of Ecstasy varies depending on the
health of the person using it. For example, it is more dangerous for
someone with a heart problem.

Stephen J. Pasierb, president of the Partnership, said Ecstasy, a synthetic
drug considered part hallucinogen and part amphetamine, appears to be
expanding beyond clubs.

"Ecstasy has moved out of the rave scene and into the mainstream," he said.

The survey of 6,937 teen-agers found that 12 percent of 12- to 18 year olds
had used Ecstasy at some point in their lives. That compares to 10 percent
in 2000. The survey had an error margin of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points.