Bootlegger
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2000
- Messages
- 222
Lawmakers Debunk the Safe Ecstasy Myth
WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) Jul 30 - Federal lawmakers are trying to combat the rapidly rising popularity of Ecstasy, also known as methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA, among teenagers with a message that the drug is psychologically addictive and physically dangerous.
"Despite the evidence to the contrary, kids don't think Ecstasy is a harmful drug," said Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee held hearings today designed to send a warning signal to teens, whose belief that Ecstasy is relatively harmless has frustrated efforts to control its spread.
The government has been playing catch-up in its attempts to counter Ecstasy's rise, first at rave parties and clubs and now on the streets and in everyday life. Federally sponsored media campaigns about the dangers of the hallucinogenic drug constantly run up against pop culture acceptance of its use and popular opinion that its use can not lead to overdose.
The number of 8th graders claiming to have used Ecstasy within the past month has gone up 55% since 1999, according to White House statistics. Rates of use in 10th and 12th graders have more than doubled during the same time period.
"As the demand for these drugs rises, I'm afraid we will see an increase in deaths," said Sen. James Bunning, a Kentucky Republican.
Dr. Alan Leshner, the government's main scientific voice on the health effects of Ecstasy, said the drug is a stimulant that is often mixed with other stimulants, which can lead to a potentially dangerous combination effect.
Ecstasy causes brain cells to release the neurochemical serotonin, which account for the drug's euphoric effects. After a single dose, "it can take the brain weeks to rebuild serotonin levels to normal," said Dr. Leshner, who directs the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Scientists are concerned that the replenishment system eventually can wear out, leading to chronic mental and emotional problems.
Unlike cocaine and heroin, Ecstasy is not physically addicting and carries a low risk of actual overdose.
"It's more of a mental addiction. After you do it for a while the high is never the same as the first time," said Dayna Moore, a 17-year-old girl who is currently in court-ordered drug rehabilitation in Long Island, New York.
Ecstasy pills sell for $20 to $50. Another 17-year-old rehabilitation patient Philip McCarthy told the committee that he resorted to robbery and burglary to pay for the three to five pills he needed each day to get high.
Congress is considering legislation that would give local jurisdictions $15 million in financial incentives to come up with stricter anti-Ecstasy laws. The bill also calls for the creation of a federal interagency task force to coordinate federal enforcement and prevention efforts.
Assistant Customs Commissioner John C. Verrone blamed misperception about Ecstasy's safety on "social scientists in the so-called harm reduction movement." Verrone said that customs officials were stepping up their efforts to find Ecstasy at international ports of entry, but the agency also fears that domestic production is on the rise.
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And the Mission is the Mouse...
WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) Jul 30 - Federal lawmakers are trying to combat the rapidly rising popularity of Ecstasy, also known as methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA, among teenagers with a message that the drug is psychologically addictive and physically dangerous.
"Despite the evidence to the contrary, kids don't think Ecstasy is a harmful drug," said Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee held hearings today designed to send a warning signal to teens, whose belief that Ecstasy is relatively harmless has frustrated efforts to control its spread.
The government has been playing catch-up in its attempts to counter Ecstasy's rise, first at rave parties and clubs and now on the streets and in everyday life. Federally sponsored media campaigns about the dangers of the hallucinogenic drug constantly run up against pop culture acceptance of its use and popular opinion that its use can not lead to overdose.
The number of 8th graders claiming to have used Ecstasy within the past month has gone up 55% since 1999, according to White House statistics. Rates of use in 10th and 12th graders have more than doubled during the same time period.
"As the demand for these drugs rises, I'm afraid we will see an increase in deaths," said Sen. James Bunning, a Kentucky Republican.
Dr. Alan Leshner, the government's main scientific voice on the health effects of Ecstasy, said the drug is a stimulant that is often mixed with other stimulants, which can lead to a potentially dangerous combination effect.
Ecstasy causes brain cells to release the neurochemical serotonin, which account for the drug's euphoric effects. After a single dose, "it can take the brain weeks to rebuild serotonin levels to normal," said Dr. Leshner, who directs the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Scientists are concerned that the replenishment system eventually can wear out, leading to chronic mental and emotional problems.
Unlike cocaine and heroin, Ecstasy is not physically addicting and carries a low risk of actual overdose.
"It's more of a mental addiction. After you do it for a while the high is never the same as the first time," said Dayna Moore, a 17-year-old girl who is currently in court-ordered drug rehabilitation in Long Island, New York.
Ecstasy pills sell for $20 to $50. Another 17-year-old rehabilitation patient Philip McCarthy told the committee that he resorted to robbery and burglary to pay for the three to five pills he needed each day to get high.
Congress is considering legislation that would give local jurisdictions $15 million in financial incentives to come up with stricter anti-Ecstasy laws. The bill also calls for the creation of a federal interagency task force to coordinate federal enforcement and prevention efforts.
Assistant Customs Commissioner John C. Verrone blamed misperception about Ecstasy's safety on "social scientists in the so-called harm reduction movement." Verrone said that customs officials were stepping up their efforts to find Ecstasy at international ports of entry, but the agency also fears that domestic production is on the rise.
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And the Mission is the Mouse...
