Pubdate: Mon, 16 Apr 2001
Source: International Herald-Tribune (France)
Copyright: International Herald Tribune 2001
Contact:  http://www.iht.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/212
Author: Keith B. Richburg, Washington Post Service
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (MDMA)

IN CAPITAL OF ECSTASY, THE DUTCH PRACTICE TOLERANCE

AMSTERDAM At a jam-packed private party at the edge of this city's 
red-light district, the theme one recent night was 1980s retro, the 
music was blaring and much of the crowd was in an Ecstasy-energized 
frenzy.

"Is this a great party or what?" said a sweaty young American, 
pushing his way to the bar for three glasses of tap water for himself 
and two friends. When people are on the drug, often called just "e," 
they feel elated and packed with pep. Often they dance so hard that 
consuming lots of water is essential to prevent serious dehydration.

Drug enforcement officials, lawmakers and health care experts in the 
United States are sounding a nationwide alarm about Ecstasy, also 
known as "x" or "happy pills," calling it the fastest-growing drug in 
the illegal marketplace.

But here in the Netherlands, where an estimated 80 percent of the 
world's Ecstasy is manufactured, people and government alike treat 
its use as a fact of the cultural landscape.

"It's everywhere," said Monique, a 30-year-old waitress who began 
using it a decade ago.

"I come from a really small village, and it was there," she said, 
asking that her full name not be used. "At house parties it's still 
around, definitely," she added.

The young American, a newcomer to the Amsterdam scene, said he knew 
all about the potentially dangerous side effects of "e": the next-day 
comedown, the slight depression, and the repetitive, involuntary 
teeth-grinding that often leaves users with day-after sore gums.

But there are ways to counteract these effects, he said. Chewing gum 
stops the teeth-gnashing. Eating an orange the morning after helps 
balance out the mood swings.

For years, the Netherlands has pursued what may be the industrial 
world's most tolerant approach to drug use. Amsterdam is dotted with 
coffee shops, establishments where people can buy small amounts of 
marijuana and hashish without fear of prosecution. Officials have 
extended this tolerance to Ecstasy, and take what they call a 
pragmatic view that, whether society likes it or not, a certain 
number of people are going to use the drug, so the risks should be 
minimized.

Here, party-goers can take their Ecstasy pills to a branch of a drug 
treatment center to have them tested and the contents analyzed. The 
pill is then handed back. If the technicians cannot determine the 
content of a pill, they offer to send it to a laboratory for further 
tests.

Upon completion of the test, "we give them a card telling them what 
they can expect if they take this pill," said Harold Wychgel, a 
Health Ministry spokesman.

The pill-testing program serves another purpose, he said; it gives 
the government accurate and up-to-date data on what pills are on the 
market and how prevalent the use is, as well as a profile of the 
users. The government has also issued a white paper laying out rules 
for the parties, or "raves," where Ecstasy use is prevalent. Party 
sites must be well ventilated and there must be plenty of water 
available, to prevent e-users from becoming dehydrated by all-night 
dancing. There must also be a "chill-out" room, a cool, quiet place 
where "ravers" can sit to calm down. The attitude contrasts sharply 
with the approach in the United States, where there were 
congressional hearings on Ecstasy last year and new federal 
legislation to stiffen penalties. There also were reports of huge 
Ecstasy busts by the U.S. Customs Service - 2.1 million tablets were 
seized in Los Angeles last summer.

Dutch officials say their strategy of tolerating use should not be 
interpreted as tolerating trafficking and manufacturing. Ecstasy 
remains illegal in the Netherlands and is classified as a hard drug. 
The authorities make war on production sites. In the past year they 
have dismantled 35, said Peter Reijnders, who heads the Synthetic 
Drugs Unit, a multi-agency group created in 1997 including customs 
agents, police, tax agents and prosecutors. "The Netherlands is a 
main producer of Ecstasy," Mr. Reijnders said. "But the Netherlands 
is not the only producing country. We see more and more production 
coming up in other Western countries, Belgium and Greece, and also in 
Eastern Europe." He added: "That is why it is important to put 
emphasis on international cooperation."

The typical Ecstasy laboratory is a fairly complex affair, somewhat 
larger than the "kitchenettes" used to manufacture methamphetamine in 
the United States. Two chemical precursors are required, which come 
from Eastern Europe and, in smaller amounts, Southeast Asia, 
officials said. As always with illegal drugs, the profits are huge, 
so organized crime has a stake in keeping the trade and manufacturing 
alive. One tablet can be made for about $1 maximum, and usually a bit 
less. In the house-party scene in New York, one tablet can fetch as 
much as $20. Invented by German psychiatrists in 1912, and used to 
combat depression and to help couples having trouble in their sexual 
relationships, the aptly named Ecstasy, known as the "love drug" 
because it engenders feelings of warmth and a heightened sexuality, 
was not even illegal until the 1980s, when it was discovered that it 
was being used on the rave party scene, which originated in Britain.

There have been a handful of deaths attributed to Ecstasy, mostly in 
Britain and mostly young people dehydrated from all-night dancing. 
But for years, "e," which has the chemical name MDMA for 
methylenedioxymethamphetamine, has been seen here as a relatively 
benign drug, not addictive and with relatively minor side effects.

The drug works by stimulating the brain to produce serotonin, a 
neurotransmitter that affects feelings of happiness. There may also 
be mild, pleasant hallucinations and an increase in energy.

New scientific research now suggests that over time, and with heavy 
use, Ecstasy may not be so benign. The brain can produce only a 
finite amount of serotonin over a lifetime, so several pills every 
weekend for years may cause the serotonin to be used up, perhaps 
making depression more likely later in life. The National Institute 
on Drug Abuse also has reported that Ecstasy use increases heart rate 
and blood pressure and may lead to liver damage. And heavy use may 
cause problems with memory. Still, many people here, whether they are 
health and legal experts or casual weekend users, consider the 
official American reaction alarmist. Tim Boekhout van Solinge, a 
researcher and lecturer in criminology who has studied Ecstasy use 
extensively, said he thought the Americans were overreacting.

"I've gone to raves with researchers and I've spoken to dozens of 
rave-goers," he said. "One thing I've found is that rave-goers are so 
responsible."

"This is a trend," he said. "It's not going to stay. It's so much 
linked to a specific youth culture, the rave scene. And no one thinks 
the rave scene is going to last 20 years." He and other experts also 
dispute American suggestions that tolerance of soft drugs such as 
marijuana leads young people to try harder drugs later on. There is 
one worrying trend, say Dutch officials: As more reports come in of 
the potential dangers of Ecstasy, some party-goers may be switching 
back to another old favorite, cocaine.
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MAP posted-by: Josh Sutcliffe