Pubdate: Wed, 04 Feb 2004
Source: Quad-City Times (IA)
Copyright: 2004 Quad-City Times
Contact:  http://www.qctimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/857
Author: Deirdre Cox Baker
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)

SPEAKER REVEALS THE AGONY OF ECSTASY

Lynn Smith says she hopes that spreading the word about ecstasy use,
will prevent people from going down the same road she did and save
lives.

The 26-year-old native of Danville, Pa., who survived continued use of
the so-called "party" drug known as Ecstasy, spoke Tuesday night at
St. Ambrose University in Davenport, urging students to spread the
word about the hazards of such narcotics.

Smith said her childhood and teen years in an east-central
Pennsylvania town of 5,000 residents did not include a solid education about
drug abuse.

"If I'd seen more bad press," she said, "if I'd seen more images of
people like me who abused drugs ...

"Now I see life as precious, powerful," she said, adding that drug
abuse education is not consistent across America.

Parents often think their children will know better than to abuse
drugs, but the vibrant Smith said attributes such as being pretty or
intelligent do not prevent teens from making poor decisions.

In high school, Smith was pretty, popular and a straight-A student.
But she was not prepared for the party scene in New York City, where
she went at age 19 to pursue an acting career.

She said the synthetic stimulant Ecstasy is a very attractive drug. It
is about the size of an Advil and generally has cute pictures on it
such as a "smiley" face, the Snoopy character or the trademark from a
popular line of apparel.

"It's a friendly-looking drug," she said, noting it does not have to
be shot into a vein or smoked like some other narcotics. "It seems
happy, harmless."

But it took just five months for her to change from being a serious
acting student to a person who rarely ate or slept. A night of
repeated hallucinations caused Smith's mother to have her admitted her
to a psychiatric hospital. A medical scan showed the young woman had
brain damage.

Since leaving the hospital, she has dedicated herself to public
education about the dangers of drug use. She has appeared on "Oprah," MTV's
"True Life" and is a featured volunteer for the Partnership for a Drug-Free
America.

"I don't jump on a pulpit, but I've been through it and I'm here to
say, 'This is what happens,' " she said.

Smith recommends the Web site www.drugfreeamerica.org as a resource for
parents or others concerned about drug abuse.

Her appearance at St. Ambrose was sponsored by the Campus Activities
Board and the Student Government Association.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin