Pubdate: Wed, 21 Mar 2001
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA)
Copyright: 2001 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Contact:  P.O. Box 1909, Seattle, WA 98111-1909
Website: http://www.seattle-pi.com/
Author: KAREN GULLO, AP

GUIDELINES STIFFENED FOR SELLING ECSTASY

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Sentencing Commission stiffened guideline penalties 
for selling the drug ecstasy, more than tripling potential jail terms to 
over 6 years for people caught selling 800 pills.

The change, made Tuesday in response to a mandate from Congress, comes as a 
new White House drug policy report shows that ecstasy, once a drug used 
primarily at nightclubs, has expanded beyond the club scene and is now 
being sold at high schools, on the street and even at coffee shops in some 
cities.

The availability of ecstasy increased dramatically and more blacks and 
Hispanics are using the drug, said the biannual report, which chronicles 
the latest trends in drug use.

Edward H. Jurith, acting director of the Office of National Drug Control 
Policy, said the report's findings should serve as a warning to policy makers.

"We never again want another 'crack epidemic' to blindside this nation," 
Jurith said in a statement. "By monitoring what is happening on the 
streets, we can often see a problem before it becomes an epidemic."

Ecstasy is chemically known as MDMA -- methylenedioxymethylamphetamine. 
Users normally experience feelings of euphoria and an increased desire to 
interact socially. Blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature increase 
dramatically.

While overall teen drug use has either fallen or stayed the same in recent 
years, ecstasy use has climbed. The White House report, to be presented at 
a Senate hearing on narcotics Wednesday, showed that more than 80 percent 
of officials surveyed in 20 cities around the country said ecstasy was more 
available than ever.

Nightclubs and dance parties known as "raves" are the most common venue for 
using ecstasy, but law enforcement, epidemiologists and drug treatment 
providers reported that the drug was also being sold at private parties, 
college campuses, high schools and on the street.

In New York, officials reported sales of ecstasy and other "club drugs" in 
shopping malls; in Washington, ecstasy was being sold in coffee shops, the 
report said.

The U.S. Sentencing Commission changed the sentencing guidelines for 
ecstasy after weighing the views of the Justice Department, which supported 
tougher sentences, and hearing from criminal lawyers and some medical 
researchers who opposed stiffer penalties on the grounds that they are 
excessive for a drug that is less dangerous than heroin or cocaine.

The new guidelines call for sentences of between 63 months to 78 months for 
first time offenders caught selling 800 pills. The sentence used to be 15 
months to 21 months for the same amount.

The guidelines are mandatory for federal judges and are good for six months 
starting May 1. The commission, an independent federal agency that sets 
national sentencing policy, can submit a permanent rule to Congress in May.

The change makes ecstasy five times more serious to possess or sell than 
heroin on a per-dose basis, said the National Association of Criminal 
Defense Lawyers.

"This is a wholly political act, not one based on scientific evidence," 
said Edward Mallett, the group's president.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom