Pubdate: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 Source: National Post (Canada) Copyright: 2009 Canwest Publishing Inc. Contact: http://www.nationalpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286 Author: Doug Green Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n343/a03.html UNDERSTANDING ECSTASY'S DANGER As a drug educator and speaker, I felt this column was missing some relevant information. The facts cited here refer to the drug MDMA, or Ecstasy. The problem is that most of what's being sold to our kids as "E" is not MDMA but a perverted mixture of concoctions that have no consistency. Instead, various drug combinations sold as "E" often include methamphetamine, ketamine, PCP and so on. The police (an occupation where I spent 25 years) are often the most poorly informed source of drug prevention information. They have an agenda and often won't deviate off course if it interferes with the "war on drugs" and the model they live by. Likewise, the opinion of Richard Green (a pharmacologist who states that Ecstasy is not a "particularly toxic compound") is also dangerous. If an adult chooses to ingest MDMA and takes the associated risks, so be it, but we should not be telling children that Ecstasy is "safe." The war on drugs has, for the most part, proven to be a colossal failure. To allow our teens to make ethical, responsible choices about recreational drug use we must provide them with information that is factual and honest -- regardless of what side of the agenda we sit on. Doug Green Whitehorse - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin