Pubdate: Mon, 05 Jun 2000 Source: Chicago Tribune (IL) Copyright: 2000 Chicago Tribune Company Contact: 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-4066 Website: http://www.chicagotribune.com/ Forum: http://www.chicagotribune.com/interact/boards/ Author: David Hutchinson DRUG STORIES CHICAGO -- I have been dismayed and angered over your coverage of the drug Ecstasy. Although some articles mention the serious dangers associated with the drug, some do not, and one (Page 1, May 22) even implied that Ecstasy is not a "hard drug." Although the psychological effects that the user feels are mild, the damage is not. Ecstasy is the only drug shown to cause permanent physical damage to brain cells at doses commonly used. Even after 20 uses of Ecstasy, a fair percentage of users are left with clinical depression, which does not respond to anti-depressants or talk therapy. Furthermore, people with manic depression and certain forms of unipolar depression are likely to have a severely unpleasant psychotic episode, which can last for up to a month. It was noted that the pills that killed a teenager in the Chicago suburbs were not Ecstasy (MDMA) but PMA, an even more toxic substance. The way to identify the more dangerous pills is that they are stamped with the Mitsubishi logo. One of these pills was used on May 28 as a photo of what Ecstasy pills look like, with no mention whatsoever that just one of these pills had put two teens in the hospital a week prior. David Hutchinson - --- MAP posted-by: Derek