cannabisnews.com: Ecstasy Grows As Danger To Teens





Ecstasy Grows As Danger To Teens
Posted by FoM on February 11, 2002 at 09:44:54 PT
By Donna Leinwand, USA Today
Source: USA Today
The number of teenagers using the club drug Ecstasy could double in five years and is rising at such an alarming rate that leading anti-drug advocates will launch a campaign against it Monday. In a survey of 6,937 teens nationwide last year by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, 12% say they have tried Ecstasy at least once. That's up from 10% in 2000 and 5% in 1995. Despite recent studies indicating that Ecstasy impairs memory and damages the brain, many kids continue to see it as a harmless "peace and love" drug. 
Partnership research indicates an additional 11% of the teen population is likely to try it in the next five years.Drug specialists say Ecstasy's rise in popularity comes as teens' use of most other drugs is declining or holding steady.Ecstasy now ranks behind only alcohol and marijuana in use by teens, analysts say. About 41% of teens say they have tried marijuana, and 53% say they have consumed alcohol in the past year.The pattern of use for Ecstasy is similar to that of cocaine in the late 1970s, analysts say. Cocaine users initially thought that drug was harmless. By the time scientists proved otherwise, cocaine addiction was a national problem.Ecstasy "is no longer a blip on the radar screen," says Stephen Pasierb, president of the non-profit partnership. "We've got 2.8 million kids who have used Ecstasy and millions more who think they might want to try it. If we wait another five years to talk about this, the monster could be out of the box."Monday, the partnership is unveiling a series of print and TV advertisements that portray Ecstasy as dangerous and sometimes lethal.Ecstasy costs from $10 to $25 a pill, and teens generally take three to five pills for a night of partying. It has hallucinogenic properties that give users a feeling of energy and well-being. Medically, Ecstasy increases heart rate and body temperature.As scientists develop evidence suggesting that the drug causes brain damage, Ecstasy abusers are burdening treatment centers. "They are showing psychotic behavior," says David Rosenker, vice president for adolescent services at the Caron Foundation, a treatment program in Wernersville, Pa.John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, notes that one recent study on Ecstasy use suggested that it could be leveling off — an indication, he says, that teens and parents are starting to conclude that the drug is dangerous. Even so, he says, Ecstasy is worrisome because the drug is becoming cheaper and easier to get. "It's reaching younger and younger children," Walters says. "It's viewed as fashionable. That's an attitude we must try to change." Source: USA Today (US)Author: Donna Leinwand, USA Today Published: February 11, 2002Copyright: 2002 USA Today a division of Gannett Co. Inc.Contact: editor usatoday.comWebsite: http://www.usatoday.com/Related Articles:Sentencing Guidelines Toughened for Ecstasy http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9087.shtmlU.S. Panel Weighs Tougher Penalties for Ecstasyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9073.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by goneposthole on February 11, 2002 at 17:26:30 PT
ecstatic statistics
2.8 million teenagers have tried ecstasy.What percentage of those teens were prescribed Ritalin when they were younger?A monster was placed in the box when Ritalin was prescribed as a behavioral management tool some years ago.What else can be expected? Advise children not to use drugs on one hand, but hand them out from the other hand.Clearly a problem is present in the minds of those concerned, but not one of the making by the teenagers involved with its use, they are just following a pattern well established by 'mentors'.Do those who view ecstasy use as a problem have any idea whose creation it is? I doubt it, they just go home, drink a few drinks and wonder what has gone wrong. I myself cannot view it as a 'problem', that is just the way it goes.Each generation has its own choice of mind expanding substances and that is the way it is going to be. Old fogies wanted alcohol (prohibited during their younger era), hippies wanted pot (prohibited during their era, unfortunately it still is of course), Now the 'echo' generation wants something new and different. Might as well let them have it for good or for bad, because changing it is not going to happen. They are clearly not to blame.Warring on drugs to gain control of so called problem drugs is going to create a monster everytime.The hopelessness of gaining control is embarrassingly clear. Get a grip.Hard to get over it, but get over it. Before you do, legalize.
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