AN INSIDE LOOK INTO THE ECSTASY PHENOMENON

Christie has just finished her homework assignment for next week ahead of
schedule and lights a cigarette in celebration of her studiousness.
Cautiously blowing the smoke out her dorm room window, she laughs about the
emergence of Ecstasy as the latest drug craze, gesturing toward a small pile
of empty water bottles and glitter-covered clothes.

"Pretty much every time you go to a club now, everyone's rolling their ass
off," she says. "It's a trendy thing to do now."

Christie, a New York University student who spoke on the condition that her
last name not be used, is one of the many college students who have embraced
Methylen-edioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), more commonly known as Ecstasy. But
she warns that this trend reaches beyond America's club culture, used by
teenagers and adults alike.

According to the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, about 3.4
million people ages 12 and above admitted to using the drug at least once in
their lifetime. However, the number of users is largest among the ages
18-24, with a reported 1.4 million of the surveyed users falling into this
age group.

While the exact statistics of use at NYU is unknown, recent reports by the
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) stated that more than 3 million
tablets were seized nationwide in 2000 compared to 196 tablets in 1993. An
overwhelming amount of Ecstasy has begun to infiltrate the New York area,
with about 600,000 tablets confiscated by New York authorities in November
of 2000.

An informal survey of 100 NYU students conducted last week in front of the
Weinstein dormitory and surrounding campus buildings reported that 23
students admitted using Ecstasy at least once in their lifetime. When asked
whether they knew anyone who used the drug, 74 of the 100 interviewed said
they at least had an acquaintance that had taken Ecstasy.

As its popularity increases, users report that their reasons for taking the
drug range from intense euphoria to better communication between one's
friends and lovers. However, as the number of users grows to include
different demographics such as 40-somethings, the number of Ecstasy-related
hospital emergencies is on the rise as well.

The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) reported that in 1998 the number of
Ecstasy related hospital emergencies has quadrupled to 4,511 cases in 2000.
There is also a growing potential for overdosing connected to impostor
pills. In 2000 alone, the DEA reports that an MDMA impostor known as PMA was
responsible for three deaths in Chicago and another six in central Florida.

According to a September 2001 Drug Intelligence Brief released by the DEA,
the main cause of MDMA overdoses were attributed to severe dehydration and
heat stroke caused by continuous dancing in congested nightclubs or raves.
MDMA "short-circuits" the body's temperature signals to the brain causing a
rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure and faintness. Users can also
experience muscle cramping, panic attacks and in more severe cases loss of
consciousness or seizures.

A study by the National Institute of Mental Health published this year found
that Ecstasy can kill brain cells after only one use. In addition, the drug
has been found to damage communication between nerve cells, causing
permanent problems in recreational users such as depression, memory loss and
sleep disorders.

Despite these dangers, the drug continues to gain popularity because of the
perception that it is not as harmful or addictive as heroin or cocaine. Even
local New York police officers are wise to the drug's increased popularity
among college students in the area. The Cabaret units responsible for
nightclub activity are increasingly being called to area clubs for MDMA
overdoses or drug arrests.

"You don't want to go to some of these clubs," said narcotics Officer Steven
Dreyer of the 13th precinct. "The cabaret guys are always at the clubs on
the weekends for drunken fights or drug overdoses, now it's that Ecstasy
stuff."

Even local users are overwhelmed by the drug's surge in popularity, saying
the new users are irresponsible and drawing too much negative attention to
the Ecstasy scene.

"It's way too commercialized now," said Rachel, another NYU student who uses
Ecstasy recreationally. "It's so trendy and fun, kind of safe, so everyone
loves doing it."

She says the recent string of club overdoses is a result of inexperienced
users who do not understand the drug's dangers and Ecstasy etiquette. Many
of the veteran users said they had Ecstasy mentors, people who had used the
drug before and instructed them on proper ways to use the drug and avoid
overdoses. This included drinking large amounts of water continuously
throughout the night to avoid dehydration and avoiding the use of other
drugs in combination with Ecstasy. Many said they were also encouraged to
avoid eating hours before taking their pill to increase potency and length
of the high.

Beyond the physical requirements, Ecstasy mentors would introduce them to
"safe" dealers known for their fair prices and quality of tablets. They were
encouraged to buy pills only from known sources to avoid "bum pills" or
undercover police officers. But now Rachel added, many new users are buying
pills from strangers, combining other drugs and ignoring their body's
reaction to the drug.

Christie agreed, and said that her visits to a Manhattan nightclub always
have the same overdose occurrence.

"Every time I went to the bathroom there would be some little girl throwing
up on herself in a stall with her boyfriend trying to hold her up," she
said, shaking her head. "He's telling the EMS crew she's okay so they don't
get in trouble, not thinking about what they're doing and that gives the
rest of us a bad rap."

But the obvious use of the drug is now a common scene at local Manhattan
nightclubs. The traditional experience described by users is large dilated
pupils, nerve sensitivity and an overall sense of euphoric well-being. Many
said they spent much of their Ecstasy highs dancing or engaging in
"love-filled conversations" with other people, including non-users, at
nightclubs.

At a midtown club on a recent Saturday night, a man was being massaged in
the middle of the dance floor surrounded by his friends in glitter-covered
clothes. While one man flashed red, white and blue glow sticks in front of
his face (giving him what Ecstasy users commonly call a "light show"),
another girl wearing fairy wings and glitter stickers on her face quickly
ran her fingers through the back of his hair and down his neck. Yet another
girl, baby pacifier in her mouth, ran a portable hand massager over his
back. No one, not even the security staff, found this sight unusual.

In fact this is a common sight at many late night raves or clubs that stay
open until after the sun rises. Users tend to take the pill late in the
evening and spend the rest of the four to 10 hours swept up in what users
describe as a haze of euphoria, a world in which everyone is their friend
and there are no worries.

Another common sight are bartenders distributing $5 bottles of water more
than alcoholic beverages and many clubs have bars or booths that specialize
in juices and candy. The candy serves as a tasty pacifier substitute,
helping users reduce their jaw muscle tension and teeth grinding, a side
effect of the drug. Many also added that they experienced heighten taste bud
sensitivity, with the candy flavors "exploding" in their mouths, causing
increased salivation.

The presence of surgical facemasks is another popular Ecstasy accessory,
typically lined with Vicks Vapor rub or other menthol inhalants to intensify
the euphoric experience, some even decorated with fluorescent stickers.
Also, portable menthol inhalers became associated with the Ecstasy culture
as closely as the infamous glow sticks, once "club kids" began buying them
in surplus. Now the variety of glow-in-the-dark toys and accessories is
vast, ranging from flashing wristbands to 10-foot long glow rods.

The drug works in various ways depending on the quality of the pill and the
drug user's habits. Some users like to "candy flip" or "troll" by taking
Ecstasy and LSD or acid at the same time. This leads to a reportedly longer
high with additional psychedelic qualities.

Other users said smoking marijuana helped prolong the experience and reduce
the intensity of their "crash."

"I just smoke some bowls [of marijuana] and I'm okay," Christie said. "Some
people crash really hard but the pot helps you mellow out and go to sleep."

Crashing, users said, is the point when the euphoria is quickly reduced as
the Ecstasy wears off and is usually accompanied by slight depression. The
impact of reality versus the drug-induced feeling of well-being is a stark
contrast, leaving many users "bummed out about life" as sobriety sets in.

Drug enforcement officials and Ecstasy-users also attribute the rise in
Ecstasy impostors to the lucrative market. Some dealers say that the product
sells itself with little pressure needed to gain a sale.

"It's like any other product," said Mike, an NYU alumni who has been using
Ecstasy for over three years. "One really good pill gets introduced and the
next day there's all the knock-offs."

According to local dealers and the DEA, some pills cost as little as 20
cents to produce and the price gradually increases as smugglers and
distributors raise the price to turn a greater profit. The average going
price for the final user is $20, some even costing as much as $40 depending
on quality and geographic location. Some dealers make as much as 200 percent
profit on each pill because the demand is so high.

While some of the supply is attributed to domestic producers, the DEA says a
large amount is being imported from Western Europe through Canada and
Mexico.

The vast majority of imported Ecstasy is allegedly produced in the
Netherlands and Belgium. Last year the DEA reported that Dutch authorities
seized 1.25 million pills before the shipment could reach Mexico City. The
final destination was believed to be U.S. distributors.

Christie agrees that the large supply is a reflection of the drug's
increased popularity. Now, she says the demand has become mainstream, not
restricted to the club kids but all ages and demographics indulging in the
recreational use. Recently at a nightclub, while waving her blue glow sticks
in the air and stomping her platform boots, Christie was surrounded by
dancing teenagers and some men who had already begun to lose their hair.

"There was a time when everyone had good old fashioned coke habits," she
said. "Now everyone does E."