Pubdate: Fri, 26 Apr 2002
Source: Diamondback, The (MD Edu)
Copyright: 2002 Maryland Media, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.diamondbackonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/758
Note:  is also listed as email contact
Author: Logan Cooper
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)

NEW UNIVERSITY STUDY LINKS ECSTASY USE TO HARDER DRUGS

Rave clubgoers are twice as likely to use marijuana, cocaine and other 
drugs if they currently use ecstasy, according to a recent university study.

The study, conducted by the university's Center for Substance Abuse 
Research, found 89 percent of the 96 club patrons interviewed said they had 
used methylenedioxy-methamphetamine - more commonly known as ecstasy - at 
some point in their lives, and 20 percent said they had used ecstasy within 
two days of the interview. Their reports were confirmed by saliva tests. 
The study also found that 81 percent of the sample group had used 
marijuana, and 51 percent had used powdered cocaine.

Ecstasy users also were more likely to have used crack cocaine, 
methamphetamine, heroin and PCP than non-ecstasy users, according to the study.

Amelia Arria, one of the study's authors and deputy director of research at 
CESAR, was surprised by the study's findings.

"We thought we would find that many people who use ecstasy choose it 
because they perceive it to be less dangerous than other drugs. But our 
findings suggest the opposite - that ecstasy users are more likely to be 
multiple drug users who might need more intensive intervention ... We were 
surprised at the magnitude of multiple drug use," Arria said in a recently 
released statement.

Arria also authored a 1998 survey on drug use among university students 
that found students who had used ecstasy were substantially more likely to 
have lower grades than non-ecstasy users. The finding showed 14 percent of 
ecstasy users had below a 2.5 grade point average, compared to 4 percent of 
non-ecstasy users.

"Comprising 10 percent of the student population, it is clear that ecstasy 
users constitute a group of students at high risk for drug-related 
problems," the study reported.

Ecstasy users are at risk for memory loss, paranoia, depression, cardiac 
complications and kidney failure. The U.S. Sentencing Commission last year 
drastically increased penalties for selling ecstasy, making the punishment 
for importing or selling ecstasy more severe than those for distributing 
powder cocaine.

Ecstasy comes mainly from Belgium, Romania, the Netherlands and other 
European countries, according to a report from the National Drug 
Intelligence Center.

Ecstasy causes the brain to release serotonin, a neurotransmitter that 
controls mood. Users often experience a state of euphoria, enhanced mental 
and emotional clarity and heightened sensory perceptions.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens