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John reached a defining moment in his young life inside a warehouse filled with flashing lights, techno music and partygoers he didn't know. Earlier that evening, the North County teen had swallowed an Ecstasy tablet when he attended a Los Angeles rave, or all-night dance party. It wasn't long before the drug raised the levels of serotonin in his blood, making him feel euphoric. The drug-induced elation caused him to hug other people and dance near the speakers to absorb the music.
He eventually reached a self-described state of nirvana.
"I felt I was God," the 16-year-old said. "I was at peace. I felt like anything was possible."
Reaching this state of mind came at a price, however. After four hours of stimulation, John began a downward spiral.
"All of a sudden your emotions come crashing down on you," said John, a sophomore at a North County alternative high school. "After two hours, I felt suicidal. I felt I had no place in the world."
Ecstasy has been a growing problem among teens and young adults since mass quantities of it were smuggled into the United States from Europe in the early 1990s, authorities said. Over the last several years, the number of young users has increased dramatically.
In 2001, 3.9 million people between the ages of 18 and 25 admitted they have tried Ecstasy at least once in their lifetime, according to a national survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Association. In 2000, 2.8 million in the same age group said they tried Ecstasy at least once, statistics show.
About 746,000 people in the 12-to-17 age group in 2001 said they tried the drug at least once in their lifetime according to the association, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In 2000, 615,000 people in the same age group admitted trying Ecstasy at least once.
Statistics on Ecstasy use or arrests involving Ecstasy in San Diego County are not kept by health and law enforcement agencies, but despite the lack of data, authorities say the drug is a growing problem.
"It is a bigger problem than it was a few years ago," said San Diego police Lt. Carl Black, who is a member of the San Diego County Narcotics Task Force. "It is more popular among high school students than everything else, other than marijuana."
Because Ecstasy is the newest drug to hit the region, more teens are interested in experimenting with it, said Marsha, a North County freshman.
The drug is largely sold at nightclubs and at raves, which are parties marketed to teens as nonalcoholic events, Black said. Eventually the subculture of music, Ecstasy and partying made the drug popular and readily available to teens everywhere, even on high school campuses.
"I think anyone who wants to find these drugs can," said Dana Stevens, director of the North Inland Community Prevention Program. "It has been more mainstream over the last five years. I don't think it is going away."
Instead of going away, the drug has sent a growing number of people to the emergency room. Between 1998 and 2001, the number of Ecstasy-related emergency room visits in San Diego County increased from 14 to 51, said John Redman, co-chairman of the county Club Drug Task Force.
"I am very alarmed by the numbers," said Redman. "The kids that are taking it are unaware of the dangers."
Besides side effects from the drug itself, another danger is that the pill may not actually be Ecstasy, say law officials. As demand increases, so have the number of "fakes" for Ecstasy that may instead contain part or all amphetamine, caffeine, codeine, dxm, ephedra/ephedrine, ketamine, MDA, methamphetamine and PCP.
Popular pill
Ecstasy's chemical name is methlyenedioxymethylamphetamine, or MDMA. A majority of the tablets, which come in different colors, are produced in the Netherlands and Belgium, but some are made in clandestine labs in the United States.
Since Ecstasy is much harder to manufacture than methamphetamine, makeshift labs are not as common, authorities said. Each pill costs as little as a quarter to produce but sells on the street for $20 to $25.
Generally, users of this highly addictive drug feel euphoric and become extremely sociable. In some cases, however, their heartbeat, blood pressure and body temperature rise, causing them to sweat profusely. The central nervous system becomes overstimulated, and their teeth may start grinding uncontrollably.
These side effects are at times serious enough to warrant a trip to the hospital; at other times, even for a first-time user, they can be fatal, Black said. Depending on their body chemistry, some people escape the side effects, he said, but Ecstasy will always impair one's ability to drive.
The danger is masked by the drug, which looks like an aspirin and can be easily ingested, sheriff's Deputy Dustin Lopez said.
"What makes it popular with kids is that it is easy to take," he said.
Some users believe taking Ecstasy is like taking a prescription medication, so they downplay the dangers, Lopez said. Drugs like heroin are seen as being more dangerous because it's injected into the veins.
Ecstasy's use at raves and nightclubs also make it more acceptable to teens, he said.
"A lot of these kids who go to these things don't consider themselves drug users," Lopez said. "They see themselves as recreational drug users."
John, who said he only used the drug once, said peer pressure and escaping from problems are reasons that teens use Ecstasy.
"Every time they do it, it makes them feel better," he said.
Education and enforcement
Detecting the use of Ecstasy is difficult for police because the pill is small and easily concealed. Also, it's difficult for undercover detectives to make arrests at raves because dealers can escape through the crowd, authorities said.
"It is difficult to penetrate clubs and raves," Lopez said, of efforts by undercover agents. "It is just a younger type of crowd."
But local law agencies have been making progress over the years.
In 2000, sheriff's deputies arrested 19 people and closed Club Velvet at the Del Mar Fairgrounds after the club and its patrons were accused of dealing and using Ecstasy. In 2001, nearly 1,000 Ecstasy pills were seized from a car stopped at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near the San Diego and Riverside county line.
One of the biggest Ecstasy operations occurred in October 2001, when Drug Enforcement Administration officials raided an Escondido lab that was capable of producing 1 million to 1.5 million tablets a month, worth more than $20 million.
Strengthening the law
Officials are also trying to crack down on Ecstasy by strengthening the law. Assemblywoman Pat Bates, R-Oceanside, introduced AB 57 to ban the drug's use by changing its legal classification. The bill cleared the Assembly Public Safety Committee 7-0 last month, but could encounter opposition when it reaches the Senate Public Safety Committee. The committee killed a similar bill by Bates last year.
Opponents contend that passing the bill could clog an already overburdened prison system by increasing the number of people imprisoned for what are relatively minor offenses.
The bill must pass both houses before it can be signed into law by Gov. Gray Davis.
Besides beefing up laws, education must go hand-in-hand with enforcement, school officials and community activists said.
Peggy Lynch, superintendent of the San Dieguito High School District, said having teachers discuss drug use in the classroom and encouraging students to discuss the topic with their parents are good preventive measures.
Stevens said schools should bring in speakers such as emergency-room nurses who have firsthand knowledge about drug overdoses. Parent-teacher associations, she said, should also get involved in educating students about the dangers of Ecstasy.
Marsha, the North County freshman, said teaching teens ways to make better choices is the only way to prevent them from using Ecstasy.
For some teens like John, experiencing the drug's horrible side effects and seeing his friends suffer from it were enough to persuade him never to use it again.
"The next week, I was at another rave, and a friend passed out because he was dehydrated after using Ecstasy. He was rushed to the hospital for treatment," John said. "I was scared. I realized then it was a lot more life-threatening than I thought."
The link
KENNETH MA
Staff Writer - North County Times (CA)
3-30-03 Release
He eventually reached a self-described state of nirvana.
"I felt I was God," the 16-year-old said. "I was at peace. I felt like anything was possible."
Reaching this state of mind came at a price, however. After four hours of stimulation, John began a downward spiral.
"All of a sudden your emotions come crashing down on you," said John, a sophomore at a North County alternative high school. "After two hours, I felt suicidal. I felt I had no place in the world."
Ecstasy has been a growing problem among teens and young adults since mass quantities of it were smuggled into the United States from Europe in the early 1990s, authorities said. Over the last several years, the number of young users has increased dramatically.
In 2001, 3.9 million people between the ages of 18 and 25 admitted they have tried Ecstasy at least once in their lifetime, according to a national survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Association. In 2000, 2.8 million in the same age group said they tried Ecstasy at least once, statistics show.
About 746,000 people in the 12-to-17 age group in 2001 said they tried the drug at least once in their lifetime according to the association, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In 2000, 615,000 people in the same age group admitted trying Ecstasy at least once.
Statistics on Ecstasy use or arrests involving Ecstasy in San Diego County are not kept by health and law enforcement agencies, but despite the lack of data, authorities say the drug is a growing problem.
"It is a bigger problem than it was a few years ago," said San Diego police Lt. Carl Black, who is a member of the San Diego County Narcotics Task Force. "It is more popular among high school students than everything else, other than marijuana."
Because Ecstasy is the newest drug to hit the region, more teens are interested in experimenting with it, said Marsha, a North County freshman.
The drug is largely sold at nightclubs and at raves, which are parties marketed to teens as nonalcoholic events, Black said. Eventually the subculture of music, Ecstasy and partying made the drug popular and readily available to teens everywhere, even on high school campuses.
"I think anyone who wants to find these drugs can," said Dana Stevens, director of the North Inland Community Prevention Program. "It has been more mainstream over the last five years. I don't think it is going away."
Instead of going away, the drug has sent a growing number of people to the emergency room. Between 1998 and 2001, the number of Ecstasy-related emergency room visits in San Diego County increased from 14 to 51, said John Redman, co-chairman of the county Club Drug Task Force.
"I am very alarmed by the numbers," said Redman. "The kids that are taking it are unaware of the dangers."
Besides side effects from the drug itself, another danger is that the pill may not actually be Ecstasy, say law officials. As demand increases, so have the number of "fakes" for Ecstasy that may instead contain part or all amphetamine, caffeine, codeine, dxm, ephedra/ephedrine, ketamine, MDA, methamphetamine and PCP.
Popular pill
Ecstasy's chemical name is methlyenedioxymethylamphetamine, or MDMA. A majority of the tablets, which come in different colors, are produced in the Netherlands and Belgium, but some are made in clandestine labs in the United States.
Since Ecstasy is much harder to manufacture than methamphetamine, makeshift labs are not as common, authorities said. Each pill costs as little as a quarter to produce but sells on the street for $20 to $25.
Generally, users of this highly addictive drug feel euphoric and become extremely sociable. In some cases, however, their heartbeat, blood pressure and body temperature rise, causing them to sweat profusely. The central nervous system becomes overstimulated, and their teeth may start grinding uncontrollably.
These side effects are at times serious enough to warrant a trip to the hospital; at other times, even for a first-time user, they can be fatal, Black said. Depending on their body chemistry, some people escape the side effects, he said, but Ecstasy will always impair one's ability to drive.
The danger is masked by the drug, which looks like an aspirin and can be easily ingested, sheriff's Deputy Dustin Lopez said.
"What makes it popular with kids is that it is easy to take," he said.
Some users believe taking Ecstasy is like taking a prescription medication, so they downplay the dangers, Lopez said. Drugs like heroin are seen as being more dangerous because it's injected into the veins.
Ecstasy's use at raves and nightclubs also make it more acceptable to teens, he said.
"A lot of these kids who go to these things don't consider themselves drug users," Lopez said. "They see themselves as recreational drug users."
John, who said he only used the drug once, said peer pressure and escaping from problems are reasons that teens use Ecstasy.
"Every time they do it, it makes them feel better," he said.
Education and enforcement
Detecting the use of Ecstasy is difficult for police because the pill is small and easily concealed. Also, it's difficult for undercover detectives to make arrests at raves because dealers can escape through the crowd, authorities said.
"It is difficult to penetrate clubs and raves," Lopez said, of efforts by undercover agents. "It is just a younger type of crowd."
But local law agencies have been making progress over the years.
In 2000, sheriff's deputies arrested 19 people and closed Club Velvet at the Del Mar Fairgrounds after the club and its patrons were accused of dealing and using Ecstasy. In 2001, nearly 1,000 Ecstasy pills were seized from a car stopped at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near the San Diego and Riverside county line.
One of the biggest Ecstasy operations occurred in October 2001, when Drug Enforcement Administration officials raided an Escondido lab that was capable of producing 1 million to 1.5 million tablets a month, worth more than $20 million.
Strengthening the law
Officials are also trying to crack down on Ecstasy by strengthening the law. Assemblywoman Pat Bates, R-Oceanside, introduced AB 57 to ban the drug's use by changing its legal classification. The bill cleared the Assembly Public Safety Committee 7-0 last month, but could encounter opposition when it reaches the Senate Public Safety Committee. The committee killed a similar bill by Bates last year.
Opponents contend that passing the bill could clog an already overburdened prison system by increasing the number of people imprisoned for what are relatively minor offenses.
The bill must pass both houses before it can be signed into law by Gov. Gray Davis.
Besides beefing up laws, education must go hand-in-hand with enforcement, school officials and community activists said.
Peggy Lynch, superintendent of the San Dieguito High School District, said having teachers discuss drug use in the classroom and encouraging students to discuss the topic with their parents are good preventive measures.
Stevens said schools should bring in speakers such as emergency-room nurses who have firsthand knowledge about drug overdoses. Parent-teacher associations, she said, should also get involved in educating students about the dangers of Ecstasy.
Marsha, the North County freshman, said teaching teens ways to make better choices is the only way to prevent them from using Ecstasy.
For some teens like John, experiencing the drug's horrible side effects and seeing his friends suffer from it were enough to persuade him never to use it again.
"The next week, I was at another rave, and a friend passed out because he was dehydrated after using Ecstasy. He was rushed to the hospital for treatment," John said. "I was scared. I realized then it was a lot more life-threatening than I thought."
The link
KENNETH MA
Staff Writer - North County Times (CA)
3-30-03 Release
(and I believe everyone is their own as well) Peace and possiblity effects yes, but I haven't heard many ppl describe themselves as God on it..
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
)
