Daisybabe
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Documenting the agony of Ecstasy
It's taken in dimly lit rave clubs. It's downed on neatly manicured school campuses and used in professional psychotherapy sessions.
Ecstasy -- America's illicit drug of choice, a pretty poison that comes in a variety of pill forms emblazoned with everything from the word love to the face of a bunny rabbit.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that hundreds of millions of Ecstasy pills are taken each year and that about 2 million new users are recruited every year.
No other drug -- not heroin, not marijuana, not cocaine -- has ever spread so quickly.
To curb its spread, the government has spent millions of dollars making the case that Ecstasy, a mood elevator that produces a relaxed, euphoric state, can cause brain damage and even death.
But the government's claims were based on flawed science. The truth is, no one really knows for sure whether Ecstasy has any long-term, negative consequences. Much of what the government touted in its dramatic campaigns had to be retracted later.
And that disturbed Peter Jennings.
"Government is best when government is most honest, especially for the younger generation, which is more susceptible to trying drugs," says ABC's World News Tonight veteran anchor. "If (young people) can't rely on the government for good and honest information, then government has lost something enormously valuable, which is people's belief in the government's credibility."
As a concerned parent, Jennings wanted to shine a high-profile light on the growing Ecstasy problem and the government's reaction to it by hosting Primetime Thursday: Peter Jennings Reporting: Ecstasy Rising (10 p.m. Thursday EST).
The one-hour special is an informative look at the little-known history of Ecstasy and the government's failed attempts to stop the drug's massive distribution.
"This was an opportunity for us to look at whether or not the government isn't its own worst enemy in trying to control illegal drugs," Jennings says.
And is it?
"Yes," Jennings replies. "I believe a lot of people in government understood the science (about Ecstasy's negative side effects) was not good. But not until real attention was drawn to it did they take down their Web site on Ecstasy."
Jennings admits working on the special was educational for him.
"I had no idea Ecstasy was as old as it is," he says. "I had no idea that it had been introduced in California through psychotherapy, and I had no idea how effective it seemed to have been for some psychotherapists. I remember one psychologist telling us that one session with a patient on Ecstasy was equal to four years (of treatment) with a similar patient."
Although practically everyone has heard of Ecstasy, which was made illegal in 1985, most people aren't familiar with the drug's origins. Ecstasy Rising serves as a fascinating history lesson.
Alexander Shulgin, a famous Dow Chemical chemist, was the first person to report the effects of Ecstasy when he tested the drug on himself in 1976. He called the drug "window," because it was "like looking through a window at the world the way it really is."
The special also spotlights Michael Clegg, the millionaire Dallas drug dealer who gave Ecstasy its name and turned it into a recreational drug. Clegg, who spent 14 years studying for the priesthood, was immediately hooked when he took Ecstasy, gushing that it was like being "Moses on the mountaintop."
It's comments like Clegg's, however, that nearly undermine Jennings' well-intentioned special.
At times, Ecstasy Rising comes off as a glossy, late-night infomercial. There are too many happy-faced testimonials from people who have used Ecstasy and are more than willing to tout its benefits.
One woman remembers taking the drug for the first time at her 19th birthday party.
"We bonded, shared, gave massages.... It was the best birthday I've ever had."
One recreational user reflects on how popping Ecstasy gave him "2 1/2 hours of complete and utter rest."
A woman who was raped in 1983 says she was "broken into 1,000 pieces" after her attack, but Ecstasy saved her life and made her feel whole again.
Those aren't exactly the kind of comments teenagers determined to say no to drugs need to hear.
Is Jennings concerned that curious young viewers might be more prone to try Ecstasy after watching his special?
"It can't be a concern," Jennings says. "Our job is to lay out the facts. Can you imagine a responsible father like myself wanting to do an infomercial on drugs? I want people to look at this program and be arrested by it enough and concerned by it enough to really want to have the facts about one of the most popular drugs in the country."
SOURCE
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posters comment: Surprisingly, this actually looks like it will be a well-balanced report. From today's Palm Beach (FL) Post:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*edit* added source link and re-edit to fit guidelines
It's taken in dimly lit rave clubs. It's downed on neatly manicured school campuses and used in professional psychotherapy sessions.
Ecstasy -- America's illicit drug of choice, a pretty poison that comes in a variety of pill forms emblazoned with everything from the word love to the face of a bunny rabbit.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that hundreds of millions of Ecstasy pills are taken each year and that about 2 million new users are recruited every year.
No other drug -- not heroin, not marijuana, not cocaine -- has ever spread so quickly.
To curb its spread, the government has spent millions of dollars making the case that Ecstasy, a mood elevator that produces a relaxed, euphoric state, can cause brain damage and even death.
But the government's claims were based on flawed science. The truth is, no one really knows for sure whether Ecstasy has any long-term, negative consequences. Much of what the government touted in its dramatic campaigns had to be retracted later.
And that disturbed Peter Jennings.
"Government is best when government is most honest, especially for the younger generation, which is more susceptible to trying drugs," says ABC's World News Tonight veteran anchor. "If (young people) can't rely on the government for good and honest information, then government has lost something enormously valuable, which is people's belief in the government's credibility."
As a concerned parent, Jennings wanted to shine a high-profile light on the growing Ecstasy problem and the government's reaction to it by hosting Primetime Thursday: Peter Jennings Reporting: Ecstasy Rising (10 p.m. Thursday EST).
The one-hour special is an informative look at the little-known history of Ecstasy and the government's failed attempts to stop the drug's massive distribution.
"This was an opportunity for us to look at whether or not the government isn't its own worst enemy in trying to control illegal drugs," Jennings says.
And is it?
"Yes," Jennings replies. "I believe a lot of people in government understood the science (about Ecstasy's negative side effects) was not good. But not until real attention was drawn to it did they take down their Web site on Ecstasy."
Jennings admits working on the special was educational for him.
"I had no idea Ecstasy was as old as it is," he says. "I had no idea that it had been introduced in California through psychotherapy, and I had no idea how effective it seemed to have been for some psychotherapists. I remember one psychologist telling us that one session with a patient on Ecstasy was equal to four years (of treatment) with a similar patient."
Although practically everyone has heard of Ecstasy, which was made illegal in 1985, most people aren't familiar with the drug's origins. Ecstasy Rising serves as a fascinating history lesson.
Alexander Shulgin, a famous Dow Chemical chemist, was the first person to report the effects of Ecstasy when he tested the drug on himself in 1976. He called the drug "window," because it was "like looking through a window at the world the way it really is."
The special also spotlights Michael Clegg, the millionaire Dallas drug dealer who gave Ecstasy its name and turned it into a recreational drug. Clegg, who spent 14 years studying for the priesthood, was immediately hooked when he took Ecstasy, gushing that it was like being "Moses on the mountaintop."
It's comments like Clegg's, however, that nearly undermine Jennings' well-intentioned special.
At times, Ecstasy Rising comes off as a glossy, late-night infomercial. There are too many happy-faced testimonials from people who have used Ecstasy and are more than willing to tout its benefits.
One woman remembers taking the drug for the first time at her 19th birthday party.
"We bonded, shared, gave massages.... It was the best birthday I've ever had."
One recreational user reflects on how popping Ecstasy gave him "2 1/2 hours of complete and utter rest."
A woman who was raped in 1983 says she was "broken into 1,000 pieces" after her attack, but Ecstasy saved her life and made her feel whole again.
Those aren't exactly the kind of comments teenagers determined to say no to drugs need to hear.
Is Jennings concerned that curious young viewers might be more prone to try Ecstasy after watching his special?
"It can't be a concern," Jennings says. "Our job is to lay out the facts. Can you imagine a responsible father like myself wanting to do an infomercial on drugs? I want people to look at this program and be arrested by it enough and concerned by it enough to really want to have the facts about one of the most popular drugs in the country."
SOURCE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
posters comment: Surprisingly, this actually looks like it will be a well-balanced report. From today's Palm Beach (FL) Post:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*edit* added source link and re-edit to fit guidelines
Last edited by a moderator:
