Pubdate: Thu, 05 Oct 2000
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 2000 The Washington Post Company
Contact:  1150 15th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20071
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Author: Nurith C. Aizenman, Washington Post Staff Writer

STATE TARGETS ALARMING SURGE IN USE OF DRUG ECSTASY

Maryland authorities, alarmed by a sudden and dramatic increase in 
availability throughout the state of the club-drug Ecstasy, have announced 
a campaign to educate youths, parents and doctors on the dangers of the 
drug, while simultaneously cracking down on distributors.

Speaking at a news conference last week to announce the plan, Lt. Gov. 
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D) said that even her daughter, who is 16 and 
attends public high school in Towson, knows "a lot" of children who use 
Ecstasy. "She said she was really surprised at the range of kids who do 
it," Townsend said.

First detected in Anne Arundel and Frederick counties in 1998, Ecstasy is 
now considered an emerging drug in 18 of Maryland's 24 counties, with 
Charles, Washington and Cecil reporting Ecstasy cases for the first time in 
2000, according to a recent report prepared by the state's Drug Early 
Warning System. Only Caroline, Dorchester and Somerset counties have 
reported no use.

In Montgomery County, the number of dosages seized by county police jumped 
from 20 in 1998 to more than 6,000 in 2000.

Popularized in Europe, Ecstasy--also known as Adam, Lover's Speed and "the 
Happy Drug"--is methylenedioxymethamphetamine. It functions as both a 
stimulant and a hallucinogen, producing a sense of euphoria and heightened 
emotional and sensory perceptions that have made it appealing to youth 
attending clubs or all-night "rave" dance parties.

Operating on the theory that "if the young are made aware of the dangers of 
a drug, they won't use it," Townsend announced that starting immediately 
the state is providing television stations with a public service 
announcement aimed at teenagers--the first PSA on Ecstasy in the country.

The ad, produced gratis by Noble Steed Associates Inc. of Hunt Valley and 
reminiscent of the "Just Say No" campaign against crack cocaine in the 
1980s, features a young male voice extolling the virtues of Ecstasy over a 
techno soundtrack. Words on the screen then contradict his message with 
statements such as, "That's what the other guy said--just before he died."

The state will also distribute informational packets to parents and 
children on back-to-school nights, hold town meetings about the drug, and 
develop an educational video for schools to use in grades 6 through 12 and 
a special Ecstasy Web page linked to the main drug enforcement page 
(www.mdsp-dec.org) of the Maryland State Police.

The effort, which will draw on existing funds for drug education and crime 
fighting, will target parents as much as children, authorities said.

"A lot of the parents of the patients I see had no idea their child was 
using Ecstasy," said Lee Vanocour, an emergency medicine doctor at Sinai 
Hospital in Baltimore who participated in the news conference. "They don't 
even know what a rave party is."

The Ecstasy plan also calls for special training of hospital and emergency 
personnel to ensure that Ecstasy-related episodes are properly diagnosed 
and treated.

Col. David B. Mitchell, Maryland State Police superintendent, said his 
department would intensify efforts to cut down on the trafficking of 
Ecstasy by, for instance, working with the state fire marshal and local 
licensing boards to close down dance parties where the drug is sold and used.

The state police also plan to establish a core group of investigators 
dedicated to prosecuting club-drug violations. And local police departments 
will be provided with training on implementing the same methods that state 
police use to track Ecstasy.

Maryland authorities said they are concerned because there are indications 
that the drug has been moving from the club scene into the mainstream. In 
one study, youth offenders from Carroll, Baltimore and Cecil counties 
reported that Ecstasy use is now widespread.

Townsend said the greatest obstacle authorities face is the widespread 
perception that Ecstasy is safe.

Although it does not appear to be addictive, the drug can contribute to 
depression and harm parts of the brain responsible for thought and memory, 
according to studies by University College London and the Johns Hopkins 
Medical Institutions.

Townsend pointed to a number of Ecstasy-related paraphernalia that parents 
should watch for: large quantities of bottled water, which users consume to 
combat dehydration; menthol nasal inhalers and glow-in-the-dark necklaces 
and bracelets, which are used to enhance Ecstasy's effects; and small, hard 
candy such as Skittles, which can conceal the drug because they look alike.
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