Pubdate: Wed, 02 Oct 2002 Source: Tribune Review (PA) Copyright: 2002 Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Contact: http://triblive.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/460 NOT A HARMLESS HIGH Ecstasy's growing popularity among young users has been closely followed by drug-enforcement officials and medical experts. They have warned of dire consequences from continual use but lacked the research to back up their assertions. Until now. A Stanford University researcher has found that frequent use of Ecstasy may damage key neurons in the brain and could possibly lead to Parkinson's disease. The disorder is marked by the permanent loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells. No all scientists concur with the research and question whether the results on test monkeys can be applied to humans. But Dr. Alan I. Leshner, former head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, says the study clearly suggests that "even an occasional use of Ecstasy can lead to significant damage to brain systems." Ecstasy use also has been linked to sudden death. More research is needed. But what young users need to know - now - is that Ecstasy is not the harmless high that its users believe it to be. This should be of particular concern in Greater Pittsburgh, which according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is one of the major distribution points for the drug. For years now, traditional dealers of cocaine and marijuana have shifted to selling Ecstasy, which in some areas is knocking out cocaine as the drug of choice. Ecstasy is cheap to produce and profitable to sell. Lessons on the risks to young users should begin posthaste - in the home. What we don't need to endure, once again, is the ravages and the burdens to society from yet another "recreational" drug. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom