Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Ecstasy Dangers Confirmed by NIDA

The director of NIDA, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, makes no bones about it in her most recent message: Ecstasy use is dangerous. I don't think she's gone far enough. The stories on this blog and in my film (particularly Cathy, who had only ecstasy and a little alcohol in her system when she died) prove that ecstasy is a killer.

Years of Animal Research Proves MDMA ("Ecstasy") Can Damage Neurons; MDMA's Effects on the Human Brain Are Being Studied
Myths abound about the short-term and long-term consequences of use of MDMA, often called Ecstasy. MDMA is not new to the scientific community. Over 15 years of research conducted on animals has proven that MDMA damages specific neurons in the brain. Because of the difficulties of conducting similar research in humans, conclusive evidence of neurotoxicity in humans has not yet been established. However, a variety of studies have shown that some chronic, heavy users of MDMA have cognitive deficits.
As the director of a public health agency, my priority is the public's health and my responsibility is to share accurate and timely information about drugs of abuse. There is still much we do not know about the effects of MDMA in humans; however, given what we do know from studies of MDMA in animals, we conclude that MDMA is not a benign drug and has the potential for serious, adverse effects.
Sincerely,
Nora D. Volkow, M.D. Director

Monday, November 29, 2004

Rave Death in LA; Heroin in Norway

Today's LA Times had two stories that show just how crazy the drug culture -- and society's misdirected efforts to deal with it -- are.

First, (here) was a story about a teen shooting people at a rave in LA. After injuring three party-goers, he was shot and killed by one of many police officers who had arrived at the scene to try to get control of a party gone wild. Ecstacy, and the rave scene in general, continues to get a pass from media and regulators, but it is, at its heart, typical of all drug scenes: dark, dangerous and trending towards getting worse. Here's what the Times says about it:

Saturday's fatal shooting was the fifth connected with the illegal parties this year in the 77th Street Division and the second at the same building. But the bashes — and the violence — are common throughout the city.For example, in May, two young men were shot and killed at a flier party in Sylmar. On Sept. 25, two teenagers were shot and killed at a flier party in a downtown Los Angeles warehouse. On Nov. 13, two teenage boys were shot and one stabbed at a similar party in the fashion district.

The raves, or "flier parties," are marketed to appeal to base insticts. Once there, the kids can purchase all manner of drugs.

Police said partygoers were buying hits of nitrous oxide, which is inhaled through balloons and produces a narcotic effect. Word of the parties usually starts on campus, where the glossy fliers, sometimes adorned with pictures of half-naked women, DJs and dancers, spread from hand to hand. One flier promoting a Nov. 19 party showed images of condom wrappers and women in provocative poses. It advertised the party as "Panties Dropping."

It is a wonder that Peter Jennings could look at this scene and still do a one-hour special promoting the idea that there's nothing wrong with Ecstasy!

Immediately next to this story on the front page was a story about heroin addiction in Norway (here). Norway, it appears, was slow to respond to a heroin crisis and now is paying the price with deaths rising from 75 in 1990 to 331 in 2001. Liberal policies in dealing with drugs are good and have their place -- treatment should be available, for sure -- but it must be backed with swift and harsh prosecution of dealers.

Thursday, November 25, 2004

An Exceptional Story on GHB Rape

There's a terrific story in The Province newspaper in Canada giving details on what a woman goes through, both short-term and long-term, after being the victim of a drug-assisted rape. It's too long to paste into my blog, but you can read it here. Registration is required. Here's a little of the story; caution some of this may not be appropriate for younger readers:

[Annette Orango] got up to use the facilities, returned to the table she was sharing with the man and his friends, and finished her drink. The next thing she remembers is waking up at 10:30 the following morning.

Curiously, the first thing she noticed was the odd way her shoes were positioned on the floor, standing on edge against the wall. Then she realized she was topless.

"I never sleep topless," she says. "I stumbled to the bathroom and there was vomit on the floor and I didn't remember being sick or even coming home." I looked down and there was bruising on the insides of my legs, a hand print on my left leg," she recalls. "I just felt awful and I knew something wasn't right."

Groggy and unnaturally tired, Orango fell back on to her bed and passed out until five that afternoon. She awoke again, still feeling queasy and uneasy. She spent that evening on the phone, talking to family and friends and trying in vain to piece together the lost hours that would never return, the horrible hole that would forever haunt her waking life.

On Thursday, Orango went to her doctor, who immediately sent her to Surrey Memorial Hospital for a rape kit. "They took me into the medical examiner right away," she says. "And had a social worker talking to me."

Orango's blood was drawn for HIV, she was given pills for syphilis and gonorrhoea. Swabs were taken and she was given a shot for Hepatitis B.

"I really felt like I was nothing more than a piece of meat," recalls Orango. "I guess he took me home, unlocked the door and let me in and raped me."

Another Murder by GHB

GHB is a truly awful drug. For those who take it willfully, there is the risk addiction, destroyed lives and death. It is often used for drug-assisted rape. And, much less publicized, it is used as a murder weapon. Here's a story on murder by GHB from England; I'm skipping to the crux of it:

The Guardian (London), November 10, 2004
Father of murdered family 'forced' to sign away firm before vanishing

Three men who held a businessman prisoner forced him to sign over his company and make reassuring phone calls to relatives and colleagues before they murdered him, a jury at the Old Bailey heard yesterday. But Amarjit Chohan's captors had already killed his wife, infant sons and mother-in-law by the time they finally killed him, the prosecution maintained.

The Crown alleges that Kenneth Regan, a convicted drug dealer and the ringleader of the plot, wanted to seize control of Mr Chohan's firm CIBA Freight and use it to import hard drugs. The rest of his family were murdered so that it would look as if they had all moved abroad voluntarily.

Following their disappearance, Mr Regan produced a document signed by Mr Chohan, granting power of attorney to two staff members, and a handwritten letter claiming he had illegally exported a drug called qat to the United States.

The letter, which has since disappeared, apparently read: "Greed has got the better of me . . . I've got myself in serious trouble. Some people are after me and I have to escape. I fear for the safety of my family."

Mr Regan, 55, of Wilton, Wiltshire; William Horncy, 52, of Bournemouth; and Peter Rees, 39, of Rowlands Castle, Hampshire, deny the unlawful imprisonment and murder of Mr Chohan, 45, also known as Anil. They also deny the murders of Nancy Chohan, 24; Devinder, 18 months, and Ravinder, two months, as well as Mrs Chohan's mother, Charanjit Kaur, 51, who was staying with the family.

All five vanished in February last year and Mr Chohan's body was pulled from the sea two months later.He had been gagged with packing tape and his blood showed an unusually high level of gammahydroxybutrate - known as GHB ....

Everything You Need to Know About Date Rape

Thank you Kelly Robinson of the Guardian newspaper in Prince Edward Islan, Canada for an excellent story on the terrifying prevalence of date assisted rape. Here's the frightening facts:

Youth are particularly vulnerable to date rape, with women aged 16- 24 comprising the majority of victims. Shockingly, the New York University at Buffalo website cites a study that found that one in 15 university aged men polled admitted to having forced a woman to have sex. And in a Canadian study cited by the Ontario Women's Directorate, 60 per cent of polled university aged men said they would commit sexual assault if they knew they could get away with it.

While many victims are forced to engage in sexual activities through coercion, threats, guilt-trips, physical violence and pressure, a popular means of committing date rape is through the use of alcohol and drugs. While many different substances can be used to sexually assault, three drugs are used most often: GHB, Ketamine, and Rohypnol. These substances are used to assault people at clubs, at house parties, at bars and on dates.

Easily dissolved in alcoholic drinks, soft drinks and juices, these drugs are difficult to detect without chemically testing the drinks. There is often no taste, no smell and no discolouration to alert the victim. These drugs cause dizziness, blackouts, sleepiness, forgetfulness, immobility and increased drunkenness. These drugs, especially when mixed with alcohol, can be extremely harmful and may even cause coma or death.

It is not always possible to prevent or stop date rape. If you have been assaulted, it is not your fault. These are some steps to take to prevent date rape [applicable to men too, because they are also victims sometimes]:
  1. Never leave your drinks unattended;
  2. Go to clubs with friends;
  3. Provide your own transportation;
  4. Mix or get your own drinks from the bartender;
  5. Do not drink from punch bowls at house parties;
  6. Ask the bar/campus staff if they provide date rape drug tester cards /coasters;
  7. Avoid secluded places and never leave a club with someone you do not know well;
  8. Always stay with someone if she or he is acting different or seems drugged;
  9. Set and express clear sexual limits;
  10. Trust your gut feelings;
  11. Make 'a scene' if you have to.

What men can do:

  1. Educate yourself and your friends about date rape and date rape drugs [learn how dangerous they are, as well as the legal consequences];
  2. Be certain that your partner is sober and has consented to sex before continuing;
  3. If you're getting mixed messages, stop and ask for clarification;
  4. Refuse to accept it if someone talks about pressuring women/men into sex;
  5. Refuse to tell or laugh at jokes about rape or sexual assault;
  6. Refuse to purchase or condone pornography depicting rape.

Sunday, November 21, 2004

Here's a New Drug Threat: BZP

This just in from New Zealand:

Herbal party pill highs lay at least 50 people low
At least 50 people -- some as young as 15 -- have been poisoned or put at risk by "herbal party pills" in the past two years.

Figures released by the National Poisons Centre show drug experts have received 90 inquiries in that time relating to legal party pills containing Benzylpiperazine(BZP). At least 50 people were poisoned, or sick from the drug.

The pills, which are sold on the street under names like Charge, Herbal Speed, Exodus, Rapture and Herbal High, have a mild hallucinogenic-amphetamine effect, similar to that of illegal drugs like P, speed and ecstasy. Users of BZP typically become euphoric, but can become agitated or suffer vomiting, abdominal pain, seizures and abnormal heart rhythms.

Saturday, November 20, 2004

From England, a Parent's Rage

Once again, a family is sentenced to a lifetime of pain and an Ecstasy murderer will be out of prison in a few years. What sadness! What a crime!

You murderer you took my lovely son
A 17-year-old Ewell boy convicted of killing teenager Michael O'Connor faced a torrent of rage from the victim's distraught father after he was told he could be free in less than eight years.

The youth who cannot be named for legal reasons stood just metres away from Mr O'Connor who has the same name as his son as he was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Old Bailey last Friday (November 12). Judge Richard Hawkins QC told the youth who admitted stabbing the teenager while high on ecstasy in Cheam Broadway on May 1 he could be eligible for parole after serving seven-and-a-half years.

Mr O'Connor screamed at his son's killer and was restrained in the court room after he leapt towards the dock shouting: "You murderer. You took my lovely son." He was held on the floor by officers while the public gallery was cleared and the youth taken away to begin his sentence.

... The court had heard in October how the youth had disliked taking ecstasy in the past as it had made him hyperactive and violent. In noting that the youth had taken an ecstasy tablet prior to the stabbing of Mr O'Connor, Judge Hawkins added: "Your mistake was plainly due to the drug you took."

Despite Drug Deaths, It's On With The Show

Bay Area friends, you may want to go to this public hearing and tell the Board of Directors at the Cow Palace that holding raves in which young people die is NOT the way to solve their financial problems! In my film, experts talk about how fairgrounds and/or rave organizers have been known to turn up heat and turn off water fountains in order to make more profits from the sale of bottled water! I'm not saying this has occurred at the Cow Palace, but people need to know that it is NOT OK to put our kids at risk for money!

San Mateo (CA) County Times
November 18, 2004
New Year's Eve party still on at the Cow Palace

The Cow Palace plans to host a controversial dance party on New Year's Eve, despite pressure from law enforcement and local politicians to stop holding the events.

Almost two years ago, two young men died of drug overdoses at a New Year's Eve party at the state-owned Cow Palace sponsored by the same promoter,
CoolWorld Productions of Oakland. More than 100 people, including minors, have been arrested on suspicion of selling and using drugs at two CoolWorld parties at the Cow Palace since the deaths.

CoolWorld Promoter Sason Parry said his company cooperates with police to keep drugs out of the events. "Drugs are a nationwide society problem," Parry said. "They're going to be there and all you can do is do your best. We go beyond the call of duty."

County Supervisor Mike Nevin and Daly City Mayor Sal Torres delivered a letter Monday to the Cow Palace board making the case against the parties and asking the board to reconsider allowing the New Year's event. The letter said that problems arise from "the obvious and extensive use of illegal narcotics at these events and the inherent costs associated with policing them." It also said that allowing minors to attend gives them access to
Ecstasy, GHB, Ketamine, LSD and other so-called "club drugs."

The board was scheduled to consider the issue at a meeting today, but it was canceled because several members are out of town, said Michael Wegher, CEO of the state-owned facility. Instead, the board will hold a public hearing on the parties Jan. 19 at 12:30 p.m. Wegher has defended the decision to hold the parties, saying that the Cow Palace needs the money.

Write SF Chronicle About Ecstasy Error!

The San Francisco Chronicle needs to hear from you that it has passed along dangerous and misleading information in an article about the tragic death of Irma Perez, who died at 14 after taking Ecstasy at a sleepover with friends. The article says:

People rarely die from ecstasy use. There are a handful of deaths per year, mainly from severe dehydration. Experts warn that ecstasy, a synthetic hallucinogen that contains methamphetamine, can impair cognitive ability as well as the brain's ability to regulate memory and mood.

Since my first entry in this blog in October, I've recorded 14 Ecstasy deaths -- and that's just by searching English-language media. Certainly that number will double or triple if European and Asian deaths were added! I've included people murdered by someone high on Ecstasy, killed in a car crash when the car is driven by someone high on Ecstasy, and people who have taken Ecstasy and died as a result.

Send a letter to the San Francisco Examiner and tell them the article, titled "Ecstasy death a wake-up call for Belmont," which ran Nov. 19, is wrong and is giving a false sense that Ecstasy is relatively safe. Mention, too, that Ecstasy causes many psychological disorders, and researchers fear its serotonin-stripping characterist will lead to long-term depression.

The Chronicle's letters to the editor address is: letters@sfchronicle.com

7 Years for Ecstasy-Caused Fatal Crash

Ecstasy, as a mild hallucigen, causes many driving accidents -- but in this case, it created paranoia in the driver, which led to the tragic crash.

Daily Post (Liverpool)
November 20, 2004,

TEENAGE KILLER DRIVER GETS SEVEN YEARS
A DRUNK-driver took cocktail of drugs and alcohol before crashing into a lamp post and killing his teenage passenger. Adam Hughes, 17, died when the Rover 420 GSI driven by Paul Foreman in Edge Lane, Liverpool, crashed at high speed , Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday.

Foreman was locked up for seven years after he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and driving while disqualified. The court heard Adam was trapped in the wreckage after the smash on October 17. Eric Lamb, prosecuting, said 19-year-old Foreman, who had taken Ecstasy and had become paranoid that police were following him, had ignored another passenger's request to slow down as he drove the unroad worthy vehicle at up to 90 mph.

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Ecstasy "The Hug Drug?" NOT!!

The deep psychological effects of ecstasy are rarely stated. On the Young Adult Version of my film, there's an interview with a young user who says she's so depressed after ecstasy use that she can't leave her mom's side. Now this terrifying story:

St. John's Telegram (Newfoundland)
Dad begs judges to help son

A St. John's father vividly recalls his son's first run-in with the law. No surprise, since it was only three months ago, on Aug. 4 - Regatta Day.
"He said he wanted 40 bucks from his mother to go to the Regatta," Dave (not his real name) says of his 14-year-old son. Neither can be named to protect the identity of his son.
Truth be told, his son was "strung out" on the drug ecstasy and needed the cash for another hit.
Dave wasn't there. He got a call that morning from his ex-wife telling him their son was becoming violent and demanding the money."
He was never in trouble with the law before that," says Dave, struggling to contain his emotions. "But he's gotten so far out of control since then, it's outrageous. Within three months, it's absolute chaos."
His son became so agitated that police were called, and were about to use pepper spray when Dave arrived at his ex-wife's home.
"He was swinging a hockey stick at (the officers') heads. He was completely out to lunch on the drug."

Another "Red Mitsubishi" Death

Red Mitsubishi Ecstasy tabs have now caused several deaths. Drug users think these drugs are made in pharmaceutical conditions, and it's just not true!

The Advertiser
Ecstasy overdose

A MAN was taken to hospital yesterday after he overdosed on what was believed to be a "Red Mitsubishi" ecstasy tablet. The Flinders Medical Centre did not admit the patient, with staff assessing his condition as satisfactory and sending him home.
Red Mitsubishi caused the death of a 28-year-old Prospect man last month after he overdosed in a North Adelaide motel.

Ecstasy ODs Surge Down Under

If anyone can help us get the word out in Austrailia, please help! Forward this to friends Down Under and ask them to pass it along. People there need to know how dangerous this drug is!


Geelong Advertiser
Paramedics agonise over ecstasy overdoses

GEELONG paramedics are treating at least six ecstasy overdoses a week. About half are taken to Geelong Hospital in a more serious condition, a Geelong emergency worker said in the wake of Australia's largest ecstasy bust in Sydney.
Police seized about$200 million worth of the party drug, readily available in Geelong's pubs and clubs, according to the emergency worker who ranked Geelong's night spots alongside coastal house parties as the region's two ecstasy "hot spots". "
At least three or four ecstasy overdoses would be treated in the hospital each week," the emergency worker said. "About four years ago we might have treated the occasional ecstasy overdose but now we are treating them all the time."
Health services are reluctant to release exact figures, while a police spokesman was unable to give a snapshot of ecstasy use in Geelong. I t is why the Geelong Hospital staff member preferred not to use their name while desperate to warn parents that ecstasy use was rife among 16 to 30-year-olds in Geelong.
The staff member knows because Geelong's doctors are sick of treating the potentially-life threatening symptoms including seizures, heart failure and bleeding on the brain almost every second day and every weekend.

Another Stands Trial for "Ecstasy Murder"

Another Ecstasy death. Behind these court procedings -- and Thank God the Louisiana Supreme Court made the right decision -- is a sad tragedy, a life cut short.

The Advocate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
High court reinstates charge; Case involves death during drug use
The Louisiana Supreme Court on Monday reinstated a murder indictment against a man accused of killing a woman by providing her with illegal drugs three years ago. ... Randall Corbett, 33, of Erwinville, was originally indicted in the 2001 death of 32-year-old Marsha Fisher of Baton Rouge.
An East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury indicted Corbett and Heather Smith, 26, of Baton Rouge, on counts of second-degree murder and possession with the intent to distribute Ecstasy.

Friday, November 12, 2004

International Mob Boss Busted for E

From National Public Radio. Kids, are you SURE you can trust your drug dealer?

ROBERT SIEGEL, host: This week, police in Tel Aviv arrested Israel's most-wanted underworld boss on the basis of an extradition request from the United States. Ze'ev Rosenstein is suspected of organizing the sale of some 700,000 ecstasy tablets in the US. His detention came after a four-year joint investigation by the US Drug Enforcement Agency in Miami and the Israeli police. NPR's Linda Gradstein reports.

LINDA GRADSTEIN reporting: Israeli police have been trying to get Ze'ev Rosenstein for years. In Israel, he is suspected of ordering contract killings and running illegal gambling and prostitution rings.

And Kids Think They Can Trust Dealers

From Associated Press:

Arrest made in drive-by shooting in St. Martin
PASCAGOULA, Miss.: A 17-year-old arrested in a weekend drive-by shooting in the St. Martin community was also a suspect in an ongoing narcotics investigation, authorities say.

Francis Nguyen of Biloxi has been charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling following Sunday's investigation into shots fired at a home in St. Martin's Porteaux Bay subdivision, said Capt. James Sears of the Jackson County Sheriff's Department.

On Monday, a search of Nguyen's house resulted in the discovery of more than 680 pills, believed to be the drug ecstasy, as well as a handgun and other drug paraphernalia, authorities said. Nguyen was charged with sale and possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance by the Biloxi police.

Philly Now A Little Safer

From the Philadelphia Daily News -- and note, this is even more evidence of the global organized crime behind designer drugs:

DEA agents arrest six on drug-smuggling charges
November 11, 2004 : Federal authorities believe they have broken up a local drug network that they say was smuggling large quantities of ecstasy and marijuana from Canada into Philadelphia.

On Sunday, DEA agents arrested six reputed ring members and seized a shipment of some 55,000 ecstasy pills worth about $1 million on the black market. The defendants, including several from Vietnam and two from South America, all Philadelphia-area residents, are to have bail hearings tomorrow in federal court in Philadelphia.

More Global Crime, Now With Ketamine

Ketamine is used as a surgical anaesthetic by vets and pediatric surgeons -- and by drug users. In a hospital, the drug is monitored carefully; steet users just snort it. Erin, who is profiled in my film, suffered a severe, permanent and debilitating brain injury when she used it. Here's an interesting story from Taiwan about Ketamine smuggling:

LARGE HAUL OF KETAMINE HIDDEN IN DVD PLAYERS SEIZED
Taipei, Nov. 11: A man was arrested Thursday on charges ofsmuggling 10 kg of ketamine into Taiwan from Malaysia by concealing the drug in DVD players. The man, identified as Hsieh Chung, was intercepted by law enforcement officers ... after he claimed the drugs from customs authorities at Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) International Airport early inthe morning.

The ketamine, which was wrapped in aluminum foil or carbon paperand then hidden in five "hollowed-out" DVD players.

Thursday, November 11, 2004

Ecstasy Part of Global Organized Crime

This news flash from the Associated Press shows how global organized crime networks are behind Ecstasy. Ravers, do you think someone running an illegal lab in Indonesia has yhour health and best interests at heart?

Indonesian police raid ecstasy factory
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Police were hunting the owner of an ecstasy factory Tuesday after seizing over 80,000 pills in Indonesia's biggest drug bust this year, an officer said.

Police arrested two men during the raid Friday in West Jakarta, but were still looking for the factory owner, who was identified only by the initials BT, said police Col. Ciptono. Aside from the tablets, officers confiscated chemicals and distillation equipment, a press used to make the pills and scales, said Ciptono, who like many Indonesians uses a single name.

"We figured that the facility made 10,000 pills a day," he said.

Newspaper editorial: No Good Ecstasy!

This editorial in the Melbourne Herald Sun gets it right! Testing Ecstasy at Raves only sends the message that the drug can be safe, and that's a wrong and dangerous message.

No good ecstasy

THE Victorian Government rightly rejects a suggested trial quality-test of ecstasy tablets at a dance party this month. ... Premier Steve Bracks says testing of ecstasy tablets is not government policy.

Two young Victorians died recently, possibly from the effects of ecstasy. In Sydney police have warned that 5000 dangerous ecstasy tablets are on the streets. ...

Federal parliamentary secretary for health Christopher Pyne said: "They (ecstasy tablets) are not safe for consumption in any context; the proposal sends entirely the wrong message." The right message to deliver is that people are foolish to indulge in an illegal drug which has the potential to kill them. Condoning abuse by engaging in official testing is not the way to go.

Saturday, November 06, 2004

Let's See More Letters Like This!

Here's an idea: Why don't you send a letter like this to your local paper? Good job, Ned! (From the Desert Sun, in California.)

War on drugs: Be different, choose life
It's exciting. It's rebellious. It kills. Drug use by America's youth is on the rise and the consequences of using drugs seems to escape young users. Here's a list of the life-damaging consequences of the drugs popular with youth today.
Ecstasy: Confusion, depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, shakes, paranoia, elevated blood pressure.
Marijuana: Respiratory infections, impaired memory, panic attacks, chronic bronchitis, frequent chest colds.
Oxycontin: Respiratory depression that can lead to death, restlessness, muscle and bone pain, diarrhea, vomiting.
Methamphetamine: Psychotic behavior, brain damage, paranoia, aggression and mood disturbances.
Cocaine: Severe chest pains, lung trauma, bleeding. Mixing with alcohol increases risk of sudden death.
Heroin: Collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, liver disease, pulmonary complications and pneumonia.
Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB): Unconsciousness, seizures, respiratory depression, coma.
Wake up, young Americans. Drug use leads to self-destructive addiction that will alter and perhaps end your life. Your life is at stake. Don't follow the crowd to oblivion. Choose a drug-free future for yourself.
Ned Millis

Ecstasy Use Among Native Americans

From the Associated Press:

JAMUL, SAN DIEGO COUNTY - The Jamul Indian Village announced today that it has received a $1.5 million federal grant to help combat the use of "club drugs" in the East County. According to the tribe, the San Diego region is one of the major distribution points of "club drugs," which include Ecstasy, methamphetamine, LSD and other substances commonly associated with all-night dance parties. The money will be used to organize community members, educators, law enforcement and youth into a regionwide coalition to investigate the cause of the problem and identify solutions.

Another Light Sentence for a Drug Murderer

Parents, do you know everything you need to know about everyone your kids hang out with? Of course not! Our greatest fear as parents is that someone who seems normal, someone who seems like they'd look out for our kids, turns out to be a monster. That happened to Sara, who's profiled in my film, when a neighborhood boy gave her four ecstasy pills in a scheme to rape her. Instead, he killed her -- she died on Mother's Day morning.

Read below about how the same thing happened to 17-year-old Julie Zdeblick of Madison, Wisconsin. As you read this story, note the penalty her killer received, and compare it to what he could have, and should have, received:

Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin)
November 5, 2004

PAIN-DRUG CONVICTION IS FOR HOMICIDE; HANSEN PLEADED NO CONTEST ON SUPPLYING MEDICATION THAT KILLED JULIE ZDEBLICK
Derek Hansen was convicted of reckless homicide Thursday for supplying the powerful pain medication that killed a Middleton High School student in March.

Hansen, 20, of Middleton, pleaded no contest to first-degree reckless homicide for supplying the Oxycontin that killed Julie Zdeblick, 17, who was found in her bedroom by her mother on March 6. Hansen also entered no contest pleas to eight other drug-related charges involving Oxycontin, ecstasy, amphetamines and marijuana in addition to one count of bail jumping.

As part of a plea agreement, Dane County Assistant District Attorney Corey Stephan will ask that Hansen spend no more than five years in prison. The charges carry penalties of more than 100 years in prison.

Thursday, November 04, 2004

Inexpensive GHB Test Possible Soon

Testing for GHB is so expensive that hospitals customarily only order the screen when it is suspected a crime (usually rape) has been committed with the drug. That may change soon.

The newsletter Drug Detection Report (Copyright 2004 Business Publishers, Inc.) says in its October 28 edition:

Researchers at the University of California at Santa Barbara report they are nearing agreement for commercial production of a test for the "date rape" drug GHB. Chemistry Professor Stanley Parsons and Ph.D. candidate Dawn Bravo said the new test uses an enzyme to detect the presence of the drug.

UCSB received a patent for the drug test in March, and has been working to find a company that will bring the drug test to the consumer market. Bravo said it appears that that "we're just about ready to settle with a company," probably within "the next month or two."

Parsons explained that GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate) produces sedation and a trance-like state with loss of memory. Because the drug has little smell or taste, it can be ingested unknowingly and is often administered to victims in their beverages, hence its moniker "date rape" drug. Effects of the drug are reported to range from a mild euphoria to unconsciousness and sometimes death.

This is fantastic news because it means we will be able to gather much more accurate information on the extent of drug use, and attribute many deaths to GHB that would have otherwise been misattributed. This, in turn, will raise awareness of just how dangerous GHB is.

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

One Ecstasy Tablet Kills Teen

Note how this article, from the Birmingham, England Financial Times, buys the myth that you have to take a lot of Ecstasy to die from it. They say the youth died from an "overdose," but then says he died after taking ONE PILL.

'ECSTASY' DEATH OF TEENAGE CLUBBER
By MARK COWAN

A TEENAGE clubber died of a suspected drug overdose at a popular city centre dance nightspot, it emerged today. Scott Ollier, aged 18, collapsed while partying with pals at the Air nightclub, in Digbeth. He died later in hospital.

Police are now investigating his death, which is believed to be drugs-related ... it is thought he may have collapsed after taking an ecstasy tablet.

Four High on Ecstasy Kill Boy

Just in case you buy the line that Ecstasy is the "hug drug," consider this:

Philadelphia Inquirer
2 held in killing of boy, 12
Pedro Molina was robbed of his radio while sitting on the front steps of his home last month. He was then shot to death.
By Rita Giordano

Nov. 3, 2004 -- Two Camden men were arrested early yesterday in the death of a 12-year-old boy who was shot on his front steps and through his front door during the theft of his radio.Pedro Molina's violent death Oct. 2 in Camden upset many people, who were angered that someone so young was killed for no apparent reason.

Molina was sitting on his front steps at 31 N. 25th St. about 2 a.m., listening to his radio while waiting for his brother to finish a shower so that he could have a turn, when four men approached him, Camden County Prosector Vincent Sarubbi said.

Sarubbi noted that this account differed from earlier ones. All four men were involved in the city's drug trade and high on the drug ecstasy, Sarubbi said.

Remember This When Ecstasy Stats Come Out

In a month or two, federal drug figures will come out and may well say Ecstasy use has decreased. Don't believe it! Here's an article from the Queensland Courier Mail in Australia -- granted, not the U.S., but I'd be surprised if things are much different here -- that shows just how popular Ecstasy has become.

Ecstasy flood
AUSTRALIA has been flooded with ecstasy in the past year, with Customs officers seizing almost one [one] of the dangerous party drug. Border patrols seized a record 872kg of ecstasy, 709kg of cannabis and 131kg of cocaine, according to the Australian Customs Service's annual report.

As you read that, ask yourself, "How much got through?"

And here's why you don't want it to get through, from Ireland:

KILLED BY ECSTASY AT NO-DRUG CENTRE
LOUISE HOGANBODY

A MAN aged 20 who died on the drug-free wing of a young offenders' centre had huge amounts of ecstasy in his system, an inquest heard yesterday. John Paul Mitchell was discovered dead in bed at St Patrick's Institution in December 2003.

His father Ignatius, who identified his son in the state mortuary, said the condition of the body was awful. ... "You wouldn't do it to a dog. I went over to him and I just broke down."

The court heard John Paul, of Orchard Park, The Curragh, Co Kildare, had not seemed depressed before his death. He had one positive test for amphetamines on September 22 but had 16 clean tests since - including one the day before.