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| 12 February 2002 - The San Diego Union-Tribune Anti-drug group's ad campaign plasters a bull's-eye on Ecstasy Abstract: The Partnership for a Drug Free America said it is starting an advertising campaign to warn teens about of the dangers of Ecstasy, which has been linked to damage to the brain, heart and kidneys. At the news conference, Dr. Glen Hanson, acting director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said the danger of Ecstasy depends on the health of the person using it. Stephen Pasierb, president of the Partnership, said Ecstasy, a synthetic drug considered part hallucinogen and part amphetamine, appears to be expanding beyond clubs. WASHINGTON – The use of Ecstasy is rising among American teenagers, many of whom are unaware of its dangers, an anti-drug group said yesterday. The Partnership for a Drug Free America said it is starting an advertising campaign to warn teens about of the dangers of Ecstasy, which has been linked to damage to the brain, heart and kidneys. The group's annual survey found that overall drug use remained steady last year except for Ecstasy, which became popular over the past decade at dance parties known as raves. The number of teens who said they've tried the drug rose by 20 percent last year and has increased 71 percent since 1999. John Walters, director of the White House drug policy office, said anti-drug officials are trying to counter an impression among teens that Ecstasy is harmless. "This is about heading off a problem before it gets out of control," he said. Many of the ads in the new campaign feature the parents of Danielle Heird, a 21-year-old Las Vegas woman who died after taking Ecstasy in 2000. She was partying with friends and had taken the drug for only the third time in her life, her parents said. "We don't want your families to endure the heartbreak and pain we feel," said her mother, Elsa Heird, at a news conference. However, Mark A.R. Kleiman, director of the drug policy analysis program at the University of California at Los Angeles, called the ad approach dishonest. He said that while long-term use can be harmful, there is limited evidence that a single use is damaging. "It's not a very fatal drug. Its dangers are different dangers," he said in an interview. At the news conference, Dr. Glen Hanson, acting director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said the danger of Ecstasy depends on the health of the person using it. "What's the likelihood that somebody using this drug for the first time will fall over dead? It really depends on what predisposing medical conditions you're dealing with," Hanson said. Stephen Pasierb, president of the Partnership, said Ecstasy, a synthetic drug considered part hallucinogen and part amphetamine, appears to be expanding beyond clubs. "Ecstasy has moved out of the rave scene and into the mainstream," he said. |
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