ECSTASY'S DEFENDERS RAVE ABOUT THE DRUG

Many thanks to those enlightened readers who e-mailed in response to last
week's column. You'll recall I wrote about the death of Nicole Malik, the
17-year-old who, two weeks ago, was found dead of an apparent Ecstasy
overdose, and about the lack of stigmatization of the drug, despite 20
deaths since 1998.

But any alarm at these deaths, or fears for those who continue to indulge
in the drug, have now been assuaged. Both Ecstasy users, and those who do
not use the drug but felt obliged to defend it, have enlightened this once
ignorant columnist in the true ways of Ecstasy. The logic of it all is so
simple that I'm ashamed I didn't think of it myself.

One reader wrote to advise people like me to take a step back from the
deaths and try to look at the bigger picture - that is, considering the
tens of thousands of Ecstasy pills that must have been ingested in the city
of Toronto since 1998, 20 deaths is actually not bad at all. In fact, this
person went on to write, the deaths are statistically negligible.

Makes a lot of sense when you put it that way, doesn't it? Is my face ever
red for making such a big deal out of this. And I'm sure the mothers and
fathers, the brothers and sisters and friends of those 20 people who have
died as a result of Ecstasy will find great comfort in the fact the deaths
of their loved ones were statistically insignificant.

Another reader was quick to point out that, "Far more people die from
allergic reactions to aspirin or even peanut butter" than to Ecstasy. (Gee,
I wonder if that's the reason why some people have gone to extreme measure
to make schools peanut-free zones - y'know, the potential death thing? But
I digress). Good point, though, and when you compare an illegal drug to
something soft and fluffy (or chunky) like peanut butter, it can't possibly
be bad.

Another reader informed me that people are more likely to die in car
crashes. Wow - to hear these arguments, it makes me wonder how there's
anyone left alive to even take Ecstasy!

Some did grant that the deaths are a problem. But hey, don't let that
confuse you! All were quick to remind this columnist of little brain and
limited drug experience that these deaths should not be blamed on Ecstasy,
but on the people who took it incorrectly.

What constitutes incorrect usage? Well obviously anyone who manages to
overdose used the drug irresponsibly - that's just a gimme.

There was lots of great advice from readers on how to use the drug
properly. There was the old fallback: drink lots of water and stay in a
well ventilated area so you don't dehydrate and die. Sounds like fun.

Know your surroundings and don't take too much were also popular tips.

One writer went so far as to suggest you should see your doctor before you
decide if Ecstasy is right for you. Since Ecstasy may be (may be?) fatal
for people with a heart or liver disorder, he advised having a full
physical. So, make sure you're healthy before putting a potentially fatal
substance into your system. Makes sense ...

Users are also irresponsible when they take drugs that are impure. No
amount of water will help if the Ecstasy you're taking is laced with
something toxic. So you must also know the specifics about the drugs you're
taking. (No one who wrote went on to mention how this might be accomplished.)

Perhaps you could make friends with a chemist and then drag him or her
along with you to parties. Or maybe just buy your drugs from the dealers
who look like nice people.

So thanks for all the e-mails, people. Let the truth about Ecstasy go forth
from this column, and let us have no more pesky E-related deaths.

But I suppose it's no big deal now if people keep dropping off. After all,
with an overdose being so statistically improbable and with all this
information on how to use the drug properly, you'd have to be pretty dumb
to die from using Ecstasy. So the more overdoses we have, the more the
surplus population of the stupid is being decreased.

But that just leaves one burning question: if all the stupid, irresponsible
ones are dying off - then where did all of these e-mails come from?