Pubdate: Tue, 22 Nov 2011
Source: New Zealand Herald (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2011 New Zealand Herald
Contact:  http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/300
Authors: Amelia Wade and Jared Savage
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)

ECSTASY PUTS SCHOOLGIRLS IN HOSPITAL

Six schoolgirls, the youngest only 13, were taken to hospital after 
taking tainted Ecstasy pills at school yesterday.

They were so aggressive that the hospital had to call security guards 
to control them.

The six students from Fairfield College in Hamilton, aged between 13 
and 15, were taken to Waikato Hospital by their parents and school 
staff about 1.30pm after displaying symptoms of drug use.

A female student took the pink tablets to school and gave them to 
fellow pupils, who reacted badly after swallowing them.

The girls - three aged 13, two 14 and a 15-year-old - were taken to 
the emergency department by parents and accompanied by the school 
nurse and deputy principal.

A hospital spokeswoman last night said the girls were treated and 
discharged into the care of their parents.

She said that although the hospital could not "speak highly enough" 
of the care and decision-making of Fairfield College staff, the 
students "did present some issues for us in the emergency department 
when we were already very busy".

She would not comment further on the girls' behaviour, but said the 
hospital had to call its security team.

The chairman of Fairfield College's board of trustees, Jonas Hapuku, 
said the matter had been handed to police, but the school's senior 
leadership team would meet today to work out the next steps.

The girls would not return to school until their future was discussed 
at that meeting.

Mr Hapuku said that while the girls were at the hospital, they had an 
extreme reaction to the drugs and became very aggressive.

The reaction of the Fairfield students is similar to an incident in 
which "Red Rocket" pills landed six people in hospital in one weekend 
in September.

Staff at Middlemore Hospital were shocked by the violent seizures and 
hallucinations.

They said the users were aggressive and some required sedation - 
behaviour not usually consistent with Ecstasy.

Police who last week busted an alleged criminal syndicate selling 
thousands of pills each week spoke about the risks in taking Ecstasy 
or similar drugs - mixed compounds which could be fatal.

The Red Rockets were sold by the alleged syndicate. Others were 
called Yellow Rockets, Blue Choppers, Green Rolling Stones, Supermans 
and Pink Lips.

"Those who've been manufacturing such pills have modified the 
molecular structure of various compounds and, by so doing, created 
dangerous substances that have been sold as Ecstasy," said Detective 
Inspector Bruce Good.

"Some of the product we've seized has been made alongside rat poison."

Mr Good said the alleged drug syndicate imported the raw materials, 
and each week in Auckland was pressing tens of thousands of tablets, 
which sold for at least $40 each.

It was estimated the syndicate produced between 80 and 90 per cent of 
New Zealand's Ecstasy over several years.

But Mr Good said manufacturers were "tweaking" the molecular 
structure of the pills.

"You cannot ignore the dangers. If someone puts an Ecstasy tablet in 
your mouth, you don't know where it's come from, who's made it, the 
structure of it and what effect it might have.

"These people are tweaking the structure on a very regular basis. My 
advice to anyone putting Ecstasy in their mouth: don't."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom