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Show J unstop September 28, 2000 11 1 j by Gerry JGilmore American Forces Press Service What drug comes in tablets, makes painful realities go away and is popular among hedonistic young people today includ-in- g WASHINGTON (AFPN) some service members? The answeris an illegal designer drug called Ecstasy, also known as Adam, XTC, Clarity and Essence, The drug has crossed the Atlantic in force: U.S. hospitals participating in the Drug Abuse Warning Network reported that Ecstasy-relate- d emer- gency room incidents increased nationwide from 250 in 1994, to 637 in 1997,-t- o 1,142 in 1998. Ecstasy abuse can be dangerous. Users taking too much Ecstasy may become dehydrated, have elevated temperature, have a drop in blood pres- among other street names. Its use, sure, have a seizure, and die, Smith by service members increased markedly said. There have been numerous The interesting thing about Ecstasy is it doesn't stop with that drug. What's most disturbing is the military members , at least some of those that have been v i convicted, were also charged with using hallucinogenic mushrooms and LSD drugs that are hard by everybody's standards. " r . " J ritl-- rfiru niUM jn ;r Capt. Kevin Wilkinson Recent scientific evidence has shown that even small amounts of Ecstasy damage the nerve cells that produce serotonin and cause permanent brain iytA side effect of Ecstasy is involuntary clenching of fi .Pacifiers are often used at dance parties,, las Raves, to prevent teeth grinding. all-nig- ht tifluence of Ecstasy say they are rollin, indi-fl- s on LSD are trippin and individuals on jpinogenic mushrooms are shroomin. Air Force policy on narcotics is fairly clear damage. Users become depressed ill. pu use any of these club drugs, 100 percent ;vire going to jail. Its not a get out of the mil-- j octree card, said Flannigan. doesnt investigate civilians drug activities, service workers are prosecuted outside of legal system. However, local law enforcement jfies and drug task forces work with OSI to lrugs off the base and out of the hands of mil- tnembers. fjlaw enforcement agencies are sharing infor-uand trying to participate in a joint effort, lid, noting sharing information is something (jccurs among all law enforcement agencies, Mendrala, agent in charge for the Drug a j cement Agency in Utah, said hes seen 12 to increase in Ecstasy use over the past and sufferfrom memory loss. Some chronic users become permanently depressed. " A Col. Mick Smith Next year, DoD will sj jinths. tdralas office deals primarily with distribu-t(- f the drug. He said Ecstasy usually comes Js in the Netherlands backed by Russian r;li financing. The agency recently seized eds of thousands of pills in the Provo area ned for state distribution. Because the are illegal and unregulated, seizures are (used to determine trends, fdrala said theres a myth many of the club ire harmless because users arent sticking jfile into their arm noting any illegal substance, lcstasy, is unregulated and the user has no f know exactly what theyre taking and how .abstance may affect their body. 5 , implement a better screening process in its random drug testing program that will be more sensitive and identify more " Ecstasy users. Col. Mick Smith in fiscal 1999, and that is a concern to the Department of Defense, said Army Col. Mick Smith, science and testing officer6f DoDs Office of the Coordinator for Drug Enforcement Policy and Support. DoD has tracked Ecstasy and service members use since the early 1990s. Our primary concern was that this was a popular drug in Europe, and we had service members stationed there, Smith said. DoD mandated service-wid- e random testing for Ecstasy in 1997. Ecstasy use is still not as prevalent as use of marijuana or cocaine, Smith said. Ecstasy is the common name for 3, reports of young people dying after Ecstasy use. Each Ecstasy tablet contains aoout 75 to 150 milligrams of the drug, often mixed with other chemicals, Smith said. The tablets may be branded with logos such as butterflies, lightning bolts, zodiac signs, stars and clovers. Some even carry corporate and cartoon logos, such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Volkswagen, the Playboy bunny, the Olympic rings, Mercedes, Superman and Popeye. The presidents Office of National Drug Control Policy reports that most Ecstasy comes from Europe, but noted recently that the Drug Enforcement Administration seized five clandestine Ecstasy labs in the United States in a synthetic, psychoactive drug. It has early 1999. no medical value and cannot be preThe U.S. military takes service memscribed legally, Smith said. The drug bers drug abuse seriously. It uses eduis mostly manufactured in secret labs cation and deterrence most notably in the Netherlands and Belgium, with in the form of random urinalyses testworldwide distribution arranged by ing to reduce drug demand within organized crime. Most people who use its ranks. Smith said. These efforts Ecstasy range in age from 14 to 25, continue to be successful, as shown with 18 being the most common age, by the relatively low number of ser: A) d.j vice members who are hesaidJ t.i.x testing When ingested, Ecstasy is quickly tive for illegal drugiiseV DoD conducted 2,273,998 urinalyabsorbed into the users bloodstream. Smith said. It goes to the brain and ses in fiscal 1999, according to Smith. causes a massive release of a natural Marijuana positives were 12,006, cocaine chemical called serotonin. positives were 2,839, methampheta-min- e Serotonin is a chemical that makes positives were 807, Ecstasy posus feel good, so the Ecstasy user feels itives were 432, and lysergic acid LSD positives were euphoria and a heightening of his or diethylamide her senses, he said. The user will 325. also experience increased heart rate, Additionally, the Defense Departhaland level ment has worked for three years to increased energy may lucinate. develop a better drug test. Smith said. Next year, DoD will implement a One hit of Ecstasy, which can cost to up to $30, may last four six hours, better screening process in its ranSmith added. However, Ecstasy has a dom drug testing program that will be dark downside not readily apparent to more sensitive and identify more Ecstasy the invincible young people who use users, he said. DoD has also been it. working with law enforcement offiRecent scientific evidence has shown cials to track and identify sources of that even small amounts of Ecstasy supply and regions where Ecstasy use damage the nerve cells that produce is most prevalent. The largest recent serotonin and cause permanent brain increase in use has been in the Northdamage, Smith said. Users become east. Using Ecstasy violates Article 112-depressed and suffer from memory of the Uniform Code of Military Jus- loss. Some chronic users become pertice, Smith said. The article outlaws manently depressed. Smith notes that Ecstasy has been the knowing use of any illegal drug in popular since the late 1980s among the military. Drug users are subject young people overseas, particularly to punitive discharges, prison or both. . in Europe. The drug has become a sigMany drug users believe that they will not get caught, but when they do dance crowds of nature youthful that all night in packed, overheated clubs get caught in a random drug test, the consequences are harsh, he said. called raves. 300-milligra- m A Results of 2,273,998 Department of Defense urinalyses conducted in fiscal 1999: Marijuana positives Cocaine positives Methamphetamine positives Ecstasy positive LSD positives 2,006 2,839 1 807 432 325 |