DRUG USE: VICTIM'S PARENTS IN AD EFFORT

Las Vegas Woman Died of Ecstasy Overdose in 2000

The parents of a 21-year-old Las Vegas woman who died of an Ecstasy
overdose will appear in a national television advertising campaign warning
teen-agers about the dangers of the drug.

The Partnership for a Drug Free America said it is starting the commercials
as Ecstasy use is rising among teens.

Daniel Heird died July 20, 2000, after taking the drug and then partying at
the C2K nightclub. Her parents said the incident was the third time their
daughter had taken Ecstasy.

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

Heird's parents have filed a lawsuit against The Venetian, other groups
associated with the C2K nightclub, and two men accused of furnishing their
daughter with the drug.

The annual survey by the Partnership for a Drug Free America found 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 have 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
officials are trying to counter an impression among teens that Ecstasy is
harmless.

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, only limited evidence exists
that a single use is damaging.

"It's not a very fatal drug. Its dangers are different dangers," he said in
an interview.

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

"What's the likelihood that somebody using this drug for the first time
will fall over dead? It really depends on what predisposing medical
conditions you're dealing with," Hanson said.

Stephen Pasierb, president of 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 with 10
percent in 2000. The survey had an error margin of plus or minus 1.8
percentage points.

Marijuana remains the most popular drug among teens, with 41 percent having
tried it. Inhalants, such as glue, were used by 18 percent,
methamphetamines were used by 11 percent, cocaine or crack by 9 percent and
heroin by 4 percent.

The survey found that both alcohol and tobacco use had declined.
Fifty-three percent of teens reported using alcohol over the past year,
down from 58 percent in 2000. For tobacco, 28 percent reported smoking
cigarettes over the previous 30 days, compared with 34 percent in the 2000
survey.

The Partnership is a coalition of communications professionals that seeks
to reduce demand for drugs. It relies on volunteers to create anti-drug ads.

Review-Journal staff writer Ryan Oliver contributed to this report.