Pubdate: Fri, 05 Jan 2001
Source: Miami Herald (FL)
Copyright: 2001 The Miami Herald
Contact:  One Herald Plaza, Miami FL 33132-1693
Fax: (305) 376-8950
Website: http://www.herald.com/
Forum: http://krwebx.infi.net/webxmulti/cgi-bin/WebX?mherald
Author: Frank Davies

U.S. DRUG CZAR SOUNDS THE ALARM ON ECSTASY

Teens Using `Club Drugs,' He Says

WASHINGTON -- Drug use among teens is down 21 percent during the last two 
years, but steroids and club drugs such as Ecstasy are increasingly popular 
with young Americans, according to drug czar Barry McCaffrey's final annual 
report issued Thursday.

McCaffrey, leaving office today after five years as director of national 
drug policy, gave a largely positive appraisal of national trends and 
attitudes toward drug use, and said he's optimistic that the Bush 
administration will continue prevention and treatment initiatives he has 
pushed.

``Drug-related murders are down by half, and adolescent drug use is in 
decline,'' said McCaffrey at a White House briefing. ``I can't imagine that 
there isn't widespread unanimity that we need to continue prevention, 
education and treatment. I'm very upbeat about the new team.''

But McCaffrey warned about the ``explosive increase'' in designer or club 
drugs such as methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly called 
Ecstasy. Several surveys showed almost a doubling in use by high school 
students in the last two years.

``They think it's a dance-all-night, feel-good drug,'' said McCaffrey, but 
users don't realize that it can permanently impair brain functions. And his 
report cited another danger that has been seen in the Florida club scene:

``Growing numbers of users -- primarily in the Miami and Orlando areas -- 
combine MDMA with heroin, a practice known as `rolling.' If this trend 
continues, MDMA may become a `gateway' drug that leads to the consumption 
of other substances.''

McCaffrey also said that steroid use has increased in recent years among 
youths who want to excel at high school sports or ``even Little League 
baseball.''

By contrast, a collection of surveys of household use and emergency room 
reports shows a 21 percent decline in overall drug use by kids 12 to 17 
since 1997. The surveys show overall rates of use for cocaine and heroin 
have stabilized since 1992, while young adults' use of marijuana has increased.

McCaffrey credited more effective education campaigns and community-based 
programs.

Dr. Donald Vereen, McCaffrey's deputy director, said that better surveys 
and studies of the real impact of drug use have helped focus resources.

``Data, not dogma, is keeping us ahead of the curve,'' Vereen said. ``We're 
able to respond much more quickly than we did, for example, to crack 
[cocaine] when it hit the country, when it invaded Miami and headed up the 
East Coast and across the United States.''

McCaffrey said the ``great unfinished business'' facing the new 
administration is helping remove the stigma of drug treatment and providing 
insurance coverage and heath care for addicts.

In assessing enforcement problems in the hemisphere, McCaffrey said he was 
pleased with efforts by the new Vicente Fox administration in Mexico but 
warned that Colombia continued to face ``enormous problems'' from 
narco-traffickers. He called for continued U.S. aid to Colombia.

``These are 40 million people a three hours' flight from Miami who have a 
huge importance politically, culturally, economically, to the United 
States, and we intend to stand with them,'' he said.
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