Pubdate: Sat, 03 Jun 2000 Source: Daily Herald (IL) Copyright: 2000 The Daily Herald Company Contact: http://www.dailyherald.com/ GET WORD OUT ON KILLER DRUG Somewhere out there a young person is going to be offered a drug, called Ecstasy, that is supposed to make her feel real good. Taking it, though, could be the biggest mistake that kid will ever make, and not just because taking Ecstasy or any other drug is wrong for so many reasons. In this case, it could kill her. What kids think is Ecstasy could be something else. It could be something called PMA. If they take this drug, they could die. Some young people who read this, or hear about this PMA warning, may dismiss it as just another idle threat from alarmist adults who have the ridiculous notion in their heads that every drug in the world is going to bring death to anyone who takes it. They know better than that. Well, if that is their attitude, then they should know this. Three young people in the Chicago area are dead from what police suspect is the result of an overdose of PMA. In at least one case, a teen thought the pill was Ecstasy, but it was PMA. The pills in question are marked with three white diamonds similar to the Mitsubishi logo. Youngsters have to know that accepting an offer to take Ecstasy is not a just a stupid decision, but a potentially fatal one. If the fear of death isn't enough to dissuade adolescents from experimenting with this drug, then adults have to reinforce that message. Lawmakers and law enforcement are calling for a crackdown on Ecstasy, putting it on par with LSD and cocaine and coming down harder on Ecstasy dealers. We agree. Certainly those who sell this drug need to be dealt with severely. More arrests have to be made to get this dangerous drug off the streets. There is a lot of it out there. But there also has to be an all-out effort to get the word out that there is a killer drug out there. Parents, teachers, coaches, cops, counselors, ministers - anyone who has contact with young people - must make it clear that they are not being alarmist when they say that PMA, being passed for Ecstasy, is a deadly drug. It would be even better if this message were reinforced nationally by musicians and entertainers whom teens admire. Ecstasy and PMA are not only a problem here, but across the country. But one of the best ways to spread the warning about Ecstasy and PMA is if young people were to do it themselves. They should accept that it is smart to stay away from these drugs and pass that message along the peer pipeline. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek