ECSTASY' PUNISHMENT WILL BE LIFE TERM TO DEATH

From Ecstasy To Death.

Senate President Franklin Drilon said yesterday that possession of
"Ecstasy" will soon be punishable by life imprisonment to death.

The substance will be included in the amended version of the Dangerous
Drugs Act of 1972, a priority bill in the Senate up for deliberation,
Drilon said.

Ecstasy, the drug of choice of scions of well-to-do families, "pharametoux
amphetamine (PMA)," "trimethoxy amphetamine (TMA)," "lysergic acid diethyl
amine (LSD)," "gamma hydroxe buterate (GHB)," and other similar designer
drugs, will be covered by the law, he added.

The proposed Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 is being sponsored
on the floor by Sen. Robert Barbers, chairman of the committee on public
order and illegal drugs.

Under the proposed act, mere possession of 10 grams of Ecstasy would carry
the penalty of life imprisonment to death, said Drilon.

Drilon said other main features of the bill are a Presidential Drug
Enforcement Agency will be created to strengthen the illegal drugs
campaign; the quantity of illegal drugs that would make one liable for the
death penalty will be substantially reduced; and the destruction or burning
of shabu and other illegal drugs will be done within 24 hours from seizure
or confiscation.

As proposed, a person possessing 99 grams or more of shabu shall be meted
life imprisonment to death penalty, he said. Under the present law, one has
to possess 200 grams or more in order to merit the maximum penalty, he added.

The prescribed limits for other banned drugs, like opium, heroin, cocaine,
morphine and marijuana, were similarly reduced, he said.

The proposed PDEA is similar to the United States' Drug Enforcement Agency.
It gives more teeth to the government campaign against illegal drugs, he said.

Other police agencies will continue to help in the illegal drugs campaign
with the PDEA acting as the primary agency, he said.

Drilon said the provision on the burning or destruction of illegal drugs
within 24 hours of their seizure was made to ensure that they do not fall
into the wrong hands, given the inadequate facilities of the government to
securely store them.

"There have been cases where seized drugs get lost or are stolen by some
scalawags in the police force," he said. "We want to ensure that seized
drugs are not recycled in the market," he said.