The Globe editorial "Ecstasy use in decline" (Feb. 29) touts the reported decline in Ecstasy use as an important gain in the "War on Drugs." Sad to say, unless you are George Bush, we should expect some fact-checking before a policy position is proffered. The "yellowcake" report in question is the highly discredited Johns Hopkins study by Drs. Ricaurte and McCann, who are alleged to harbor a very loaded agenda.

This study attributed a 20 percent mortality rate and profound brain damage. This made major headlines in the modern age of Science by Press Conference. It was seized upon to justify the RAVE act, which justifies police-state powers to combat this "Reefer Madness"-type menace. Somehow, it even made it into the normally reliable publication Science.

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