Pubdate: Sun, 05 Feb 2012
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2012 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Douglas Quan, The Ottawa Citizen

THE AGONY OF ECSTASY

People who buy the drug have no idea what's in the pills or whether
they may turn out to be lethal, writes Douglas Quan.

Not so long ago, Myles Murphy popped "E" caps like they were candy. 

He and his two buddies would pool their money to buy 21 ecstasy pills 
during the week from a dealer in school or on the street. Then on the 
weekend, they'd steal away to someone's basement and throw 
"mini-raves" for themselves, glow sticks and all.

"I couldn't stop, right? It became just something I needed, I liked,"
said Murphy, who was introduced to the drug in Grade 9 at a party with
a bunch of older kids.

These days, however, the gregarious 19-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C.,
has a different take on the socalled "love drug" that is so popular
among clubbers and partygoers and whose properties, it is commonly
said, jack up the senses to the point where you can "see the music"
and "hear the colours."

"It's one of the cheapest, dirtiest drugs," Murphy said. "You don't
know what's in it."

The warning is being echoed by police and public health officials
after a spate of ecstasy-related deaths in Western Canada.

Many of the deaths -- nine in Alberta and five in B.C. -- have been
linked to ecstasy that has been tainted with para-methoxymethamphetamine
or PMMA, dubbed by some drug experts as meth's "ugly cousin."

Theories abound about what could be behind the cluster of Pmma-related
deaths.

It is possible, police and health officials say, that a crackdown on
pre-cursor chemicals used to make methylenedioxymethamphetamine or
MDMA -- which is ecstasy in its traditional or pure form -- has led drug
producers to turn to other synthetic drugs, such as PMMA.

It is also possible that inexperienced producers intended to add meth
into the toxic blend but ended up creating PMMA by accident.

Though police have opened investigations into the deadly cases, they
admit that identifying the drugs' suppliers could be a challenge
because distribution typically involves many players.

"There are so many different sets of hands," said Staff-sgt. Mike
Bossley of the Calgary Police Service.

Bossley said it is possible that if the drugs' suppliers are caught,
more severe charges, such as criminal negligence causing death, might
be considered, but that would require proof they knew the drugs were
lethal.

Meanwhile, officials are using posters and social media to spread the
message that all forms of ecstasy -- tablet, capsule, powder, with PMMA
or without -- can be deadly.

Ottawa-based RCMP Cpl. Luc Chicoine, a synthetic-drug expert who
provides support to the force's drug investigators, said MDMA is made
by mixing MDP2P, a light oil extracted from the bark of a tree, with
various chemicals common in paint thinners and drain cleaners.

The solution is then mixed with hydrochloric acid to turn it into a
powder, which can be consumed as a powder or pressed into tablets or
wrapped in capsules.

Beginning in the 1980s and 1990s, when raves became popular, ecstasy
producers started experimenting and mixing in other addictive
ingredients, such as meth, cocaine and ketamine, to keep customers
interested. 

"They'll do whatever they need to do for their customers to come 
back," Chicoine said.

The problem, however, is lack of quality control. Most synthetic drug
labs are pretty rudimentary, consisting of plastic buckets and garbage
pails and other items purchased from local hardware stores and
assembled in bathtubs and basements, Chicoine said.

Ecstasy users face big risks because they have no way of knowing how
the drugs were made, what's in them, or how their bodies will react to
them.

Some can consume a lot and experience few effects, while others can
consume a little and suffer very serious effects.

Dr. Graham Jones, chief toxicologist for the Office of the Medical
Examiner in Alberta, said taking ecstasy can elevate the blood
pressure and potentially cause bleeding in the brain.

The drug can cause the body's temperature to rise and the muscles in
the limbs to break down. Proteins from those muscles can circulate
through the body and cause organ failure.

The problem, Jones said, is people may take ecstasy and feel only a
light buzz initially and think it's safe to take more, not realizing
that their bodies are still processing what they took initially.

Chicoine said he's heard of cases where a victim's core body
temperature continued to rise, even after death. The drug can make
your "blood boil," he said.

Part of the problem is ecstasy is widely available. The United
Nations' World Drug Report for 2011 reported that the manufacture of
ecstasy was concentrated in Canada and the U.S.

Another problem is that teenagers just "don't think it's that bad,"
Murphy said.

Ecstasy tablets are often stamped with cartoon characters, such as
those from The Simpsons or Transformers, or other eye-catching logos,
such as the Playboy bunny, adding to their appeal. 

He would know. When he was in Grade 10, Murphy was having Thanksgiving 
dinner with his family when his heart began to race, his body started 
to tingle and go numb and his temperature fluctuated between hot and cold.

He was rushed to hospital where doctors warned him that he needed to
stop drinking and taking drugs because it was affecting a pre-existing
heart condition.

But he didn't stop and started dabbling in even more drugs, including
cocaine and heroin.

"I could drop dead at any time, but I'd still do it," he
said.

The turning point came in late 2010, when he found himself alone and
smoking crack in the washroom of the school he'd been kicked out of.

"I remember going across the field, feeling, 'Where's my life going?
I'm going to die.' I feel like I'm going to die, but I don't actually
want to die, right? I picked up the phone and called my mom."

He went into detox and enrolled in the Last Door, a 10-bed addiction
recovery home in New Westminster, B.C., that caters to 14- to
18-year-olds.

Murphy completed the treatment program last year, graduated from high
school and now serves as a mentor, said program co-ordinator Peter
Beka.

"He's a source of inspiration for residents who are struggling with
addiction. He's in this community and they see him succeeding in life.
His life is the mentorship."

Not everyone has second chances like that.

Brenda Herrmann's 15-year-old son, Jonathan, died last June after
ingesting eight ecstasy tablets stamped with Mickey Mouse faces at a
skateboard park in Strathmore, Alta.

He went into convulsions at the hospital. Doctors packed him in ice
because his core temperature reached 40 C and his heart was racing at
250 beats per minute.

By the time Herrmann arrived at the hospital, her son had gone into
cardiac arrest. They spent 11/2 hours trying to revive him.

"Finally they came out and the doctor said, ' I'm sorry.' I didn't get
a chance to say goodbye," she said.

Herrmann now shares her story with church and youth
groups.

Educators need to inform students in elementary school about the
dangers of drugs, she said. By junior high, it's too late. And the
message must be direct. "The people who are making (these drugs) don't
care. They're making money," she said.

"They don't care if you die." 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.