Pubdate: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 Source: Parksville Qualicum Beach News (CN BC) Copyright: 2005 Parksville Qualicum Beach News Contact: http://www.pqbnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1361 Author: Beth Blackburn Note: Constable Beth Blackburn is a drug awareness officer with the Nanaimo RCMP Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy) WHAT'S IN THOSE ECSTASY PILLS? For the past six years the RCMP Drug Awareness Service and the University of British Columbia have been conducting an analysis of tablets seized by police that were being sold to youth as Ecstasy. I'm sure that you will find our results alarming. Youth for some reason have the belief that this drug called Ecstasy is safe and non-addictive. This is simply not true but what is more alarming is that the little tablet being sold more than 45 per cent of the time contains Methamphetamine. This is based on the 2003 analysis and this trend is increasing year by year. Some of the other substance found in the tablets are heroin, caffeine, ephedrine, ketamine, cocaine and PCP. In 2003 of the 456 samples tested, more than 400 contained stimulants, 101 contained MDMA (not always pure), 79 MDA, 85 methamphetamine and interestingly 19 samples contained cocaine. Using one or more drug at a time is called poly-drug use and this is an alarming trend. Along with the these poly-drug cocktails, ecstasy users are often consuming large amounts of vitamins, herbal supplements and stimulants such as caffeine and recently popular energy drinks, such as Red Bull, often exceeding the recommended dosages, believing this is safe. The drugs alone are not safe but the risk increases when the user is ingesting pills or tablets that are a drug cocktail, usually without their knowledge because these tablets are produced in clandestine labs that are not regulated and not being produced within any standards of safety. So if you trust your local drug dealer with your health and safety, then go ahead and make that choice. But they are driven by one thing and that is money, not your safety or health. When things go sideways it will not be your drug dealer standing there helping you . Be informed and make good choices. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake