Pubdate: Sat, 14 May 2005 Source: Nanaimo News Bulletin (CN BC) Copyright: 2005, BC Newspaper Group Contact: http://www.nanaimobulletin.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/948 Author: Beth Blackburn, RCMP Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy) ECSTASY OFTEN CONTAINS OTHER ILLICIT DRUGS For the past six years the RCMP Drug Awareness Service and the University of B.C. 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 the results alarming. Youth for some reason believe ecstasy is safe and non-addictive. This is simply not true. What is more alarming is that the ecstasy being sold more than 45 per cent of the time contains methamphetamine. This is based on the 2003 analysis. This trend is increasing year by year. Some of the other substance found in the tablets are heroin, caffeine, ephedrine, ketamine, cocaine and PCP. Of the 456 samples tested in 2003 more than 400 contained stimulants, 101 contained MDMA, 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 emerging 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 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: Jay Bergstrom