Pubdate: Fri, 28 May 2004
Source: Comox Valley Record (CN BC)
Copyright: 2004 Comox Valley Record
Contact:  http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/784
Author: Bruce MacInnis
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)

TEENAGERS OD

Overdoses of ecstasy and alcohol sent two local teen-age girls to hospital 
recently as use of the drug becomes more prevalent among young people, RCMP 
Const. Dean Maxwell says.

The most recent casualty was an 18-year-old girl, who was taken to St. 
Joseph's Hospital at about midnight on May 17. She had overdosed on ecstasy 
and drank a quantity of alcohol.

During an unrelated incident earlier in May, a teen-age girl was taken to 
hospital suffering serious reactions to an overdose of ecstasy.

Incidents involving ecstasy, also known as "ex" or the "love drug", are 
prevalent in the Valley and seem to come in waves, Maxwell said. "There 
will be no seizures for a long time, and then there will be a lot of them 
at once."

Ecstasy is the common name for Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). 
However, drugs sold on the street and alleged to be ecstasy are often 
compounds of other chemicals.

Street drugs are often made by people who have little or no training in 
chemistry, and work in hastily-improvised laboratories, and can be impure 
and dangerous. Raw materials for ecstasy can be bought at most pharmacies.

Equipment for an improvised lab can easily be carried in the trunk of a car 
and set up in a hotel room or other impromptu setting.

MDMA is most often taken orally, usually in pills, tablets or capsules, 
according to police.It is popular among young people because it is 
relatively inexpensive and produces a high which can last four to six 
hours. Ecstasy elevates the body temperature up to 106 degrees (Fahrenheit) 
and can triple the heart rate.

Symptoms include hyper-alertness, agitation, sweating and fatigue when the 
user "crashes" after a high.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom