ECSTACY MAY BE NEXT BIG DRUG TREND TO HIT AREA, POLICE SAY

ASHLAND - Law enforcement officials and drug abuse counselors are bracing
for what could be the next major trend in illicit narcotics to hit the area.

Over the past few years, so-called ``club drugs" have gained favor with
teens and young adults at dance clubs and all-night dance parties known as
``raves."

One of the most popular drugs to emerge from the ``rave" scene is MDMA,
which is most commonly referred to as Ecstasy.

Ecstasy has been available as a street drug since the 1980s, according to
the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Police say it hasn't been widely seen in Northeastern Kentucky, but seems
to be making inroads.

Officers of the FIVCO Area Drug Enforcement Task Force have made a few
undercover buys of Ecstasy, FADE Director Bob Jessie said. ``It is here,
unfortunately," he said.

Jessie said the use of MDMA currently appears to be fairly isolated in the
areas covered by the task force.

But he said he had little doubt the problem would get worse as Ecstasy
pipelines begin reaching more rural areas.

``We're usually the last ones, luckily, to get anything like that," he said.

Jessie said the task force currently had no warrants pending for
trafficking in Ecstasy.

MDMA's chemical structure is similar to the stimulant methamphetamine and
the hallucinogen mescaline, meaning the drug can produce both stimulant and
psychedelic effects.

According to the NIDA, users report experiencing increased energy, and
enhanced sense of self-confidence and well-being.

Ecstasy is also known as the ``hug drug" because it produces an
overwhelming desire to touch others, and to be touched.

MDMA is addictive, and users may experience confusion, depression, anxiety,
trouble sleeping and paranoia, even weeks after taking it, the NIDA reports.

Several fatalities that have been linked to Ecstasy use have occurred at
dance clubs. Research also indicates that long-term use of the drug can
cause irreversible brain damage.

MDMA is most often available in tablet form and is usually ingested orally.
It is also available as a powder and is sometimes snorted and occasionally
smoked, but rarely injected.

Most of the Ecstasy consumed in the U.S. is imported from Western Europe,
where it's manufactured in clandestine laboratories.

The greatest number of MDMA users fall into the 18-25 age group, according
to a survey done last year by the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Detectives with the Ashland post of the Kentucky State Police have worked a
few cases involving Ecstasy, said Trooper Gary Kistner, post spokesman.

``We are definitely seeing evidence of it in the area," he said. ``It's not
real prevalent, but if it follows past patterns, it could definitely become
a drug that's very widely used if we don't get on it quick."

Ecstasy is classified as a Schedule 1 narcotic, and conviction for
trafficking in it is punishable by five to 10 years in prison, Kistner said.

Pathway's ALERT Regional Prevention Center has not yet seen any cases of
MDMA addiction, said Amy Jeffers, a prevention specialist.

However, workers there are prepared if, and when, the Ecstasy fad hits
Northeastern Kentucky, she said.

Jeffers said she and the other specialists at ALERT last year underwent
training on how to treat patients suffering the effects of using MDMA and
other club drugs.

Jeffers said she had spoken to others involved in drug abuse prevention who
indicated that Ecstasy was more of a problem in cities with large college
populations.

However, she said she felt confident ALERT counselors would eventually
start seeing the ravages of Ecstasy use.

Other club drugs include GHB - also known as the ``date rape" drug because
it has been used to incapacitate women for the purpose of sexual assault -
Rohypnol, or ``roofies," and ketamine, which is intended for use as an
animal tranquilizer.