Pubdate: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 Source: Jamaica Observer (Jamaica) Copyright: 2010 The Jamaica Observer Ltd, Contact: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1127 Author: Corey Robinson, Observer Staff Reporter BEWARE! USE OF PARTY DRUG ECSTASY ON THE RISE RISE Life Management Services, the non-governmental organisation that works with at-risk youth in Kingston's inner cities, has expressed concern about the increase use of the 'party' drug ecstasy. Although only one case of addiction has been treated thus far, Richard Henry, co-ordinator of counselling services at the non-profit organisation, said the usage of the contraband is growing rapidly. "We have not seen many cases coming to us, but I was a part of a group recently and that is one of the things we saw coming out of that discussion," Henry told this week's Observer Monday Exchange at the newspaper's headquarters in Kingston. "It's mostly used at parties and in the go-go clubs because it gives the user the impression or illusion that they can dance all night long," added Henry. "It is very dangerous but you might use it and nothing happens to you but it might be different for another person," he told Observer reporters and editors. According to Henry, ecstasy is extremely expensive, but persons who are able to lay their hands on it often capitalise on its effectiveness as a 'date-rape' drug. He made mention of a young man who told him he had planned on "dropping a young lady an ecstasy [tablet] in her cup at a recently held party". Senior Superintendent of Police Carlton Wilson, former head of the Narcotics Division, could not, however, confirm the usage of ecstasy as a 'date-rape' drug, but agreed with Henry about its growing prevalence in Jamaica. "It's very prevalent. It is really a party drug and persons, especially teens and those in the night-clubs and sessions, use it to give them a boost of energy," Wilson said. "It turns up mostly in Jamaica during the Spring Break season when you have many teens coming from abroad to the island," he continued. Wilson said the drug -- which is sold for upwards of US$20 -- often reaches Jamaican shores from Holland, and is in many cases smuggled in among other legal tablets. That makes it even harder to detect, he said. "It takes training and sensitisation, and people at the ports are not trained to identify these drugs because they come in varying forms, and are normally mixed among other legitimate pills," Wilson said. He added also that persons who are found in possession of ecstasy in Jamaica many times "get just a slap on the wrist, because of the lack of legislation to adequately deal with it". Ecstasy, or its scientific name Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, is a stimulant drug, which causes its user to feel energetic for several hours. Also called E, X, disco biscuits, doves, diamonds, fantasy or XTC, the drug is normally sold as a round flat tablet and comes in a variety of colours, more commonly white, with small motifs embossed on one side. Ecstasy is most commonly swallowed but is sometimes smoked, snorted, or injected, and can lead to panic attacks, depression, anxiety, stiffness of the body and paranoia. It can also cause a rise in body temperature and could result in its user having a heatstroke. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D