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ClubDrugs.net News
Reports and News on Ecstasy:
Drug dealers pass off fake Ecstasy pills
Drug dealers hoping to capitalize on the popularity of club drugs are trying to pass off a variety of chemical concoctions as Ecstasy pills.
The pills are appearing at dance clubs and all-night dance parties or raves in California, Oregon, Ohio, Florida and at least 10 other states. Last month, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued an alert for two of the drugs, known as Foxy and AMT.
Although drug experts regard Ecstasy as harmful itself, health and law enforcement officials warn that the use of research chemicals is particularly hazardous because scientists have not studied their effects. The Florida warning calls the drugs "potentially dangerous."
Of particular concern are:
Foxy, also called Methoxy Foxy, which is known chemically as 5-MeO-DIPT. It is a hallucinogen that comes in tablets and capsules. Users report diarrhea, nausea, severe anxiety and a high or "buzzing" that can last 14 hours.
AMT, also called IT-290 and known chemically as alpha-methyltryptamine. It is a hallucinogen that usually comes in a capsule with orange or off-white powder. Users experience increased energy, empathy, visual patterns, nausea, headaches, vomiting and jaw clenching.
The chemicals used to produce the fake Ecstasy tablets and capsules are sold legally for scientific use. However, dealers who purchase them, usually via the Internet, and sell them can be prosecuted under federal and state laws that ban trafficking in drugs that mimic the effects of illegal drugs.
Both drugs mimic some of the effects of Ecstasy, which has stimulant and hallucinogenic properties and produces a feeling of sensuous well-being. Foxy and AMT, however, produce more intense hallucinations without the warm and fuzzy feeling.
"About half the pills we test are not (Ecstasy)," says Tim Santamour, executive director of DanceSafe. His organization tests pills for 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), the chemical component of Ecstasy, in an effort to reduce harm on users, most of whom are in their teens or 20s.
"Drug dealers know there is a market for Ecstasy right now, and they are willing to put their customers at risk," Santamour says. "It's a black market so there's no regulation."
Ecstasy users who end up with Foxy or AMT are in for a "big surprise," he says. "The high is nothing like that of Ecstasy. It's a psychedelic trip."
AMT and Foxy are the most recent additions to a list of Ecstasy fakes that users call "bunk." Dealers also try to pass off pain relievers, caffeine, amphetamines and a chemical used in cough suppressant as Ecstasy.
Ecstasy users in Portland, first reported Foxy about a year ago as a purple pill stamped with an alien. In January, the alien-stamped pills surfaced in Oakland, Calif. Over the next four months, a new batch of Foxy pills stamped with a spider appeared in Sacramento, Oakland, Portland and Albuquerque, according to www.pillreports.com, a Web site that compiles reports on pills from users
Women More Susceptible to Ecstasy Brain Damage
11/30/2001
A preliminary study finds that women may suffer more brain damage than men from taking the drug ecstasy, the Associated Press reported Nov. 29.
For the study, Dutch researchers compared brain scans of people who had taken 50 or more ecstasy tablets in their lifetimes with a group that had never taken the drug. The study showed that ecstasy -- also known by the chemical moniker MDMA -- caused more damage to certain brain cells in women, even though the men had taken more ecstasy over the years.
Researchers said more studies are needed to confirm the results.
Kathryn Cunningham, professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, said it's not surprising that men and women respond differently to ecstasy. She pointed out that amphetamines leave the body more quickly in the presence of testosterone.
"Estrogen-dependent changes in the serotonin transporter might regulate the brain response, and thus toxicity, to MDMA. And it's conceivable that women may be more vulnerable to brain damage at certain times of the month," Cunningham said.
The research is published in The Lancet medical journal
Parents Uneducated about effects of Ecstasy
10/24/2002
A survey of U.S. parents shows that most underestimate youth use of ecstasy and are unaware of the signs of the drug's use, the Charlotte Observer reported Oct. 21.
According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America's annual report, while 92 percent of parents are aware of ecstasy, nearly half would not be able to recognize its effects on their children.
Signs of ecstasy use include blurred vision, rapid eye movement, chills or sweating, dehydration, confusion, faintness, severe anxiety, grinding of teeth, and a trance-like state.
In addition, the survey found that only one percent of parents believe their child has ever tried ecstasy, known as a "club drug" because of its popularity at rave dance parties.
"Millions of parents sincerely don't believe that their kids are the ones experimenting with drugs like ecstasy," said Stephen J. Pasierb, president and chief executive officer of the partnership. "It's these assumptions that enable drug use to go undetected."
The survey's results were based on a poll of 1,219 parents nationwide. Data was collected during in-home interviews with parents of children 18 and under.
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