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Ecstasy’s allure "ROBERT" first sampled Ecstasy at a teen dance club at 17, which is how many young people are introduced to the drug.
just illusion
The dark side of the trendy drug,
popular in night clubs, has
local officials worriedBy Jaymes K. Song
Star-Bulletin"My experience the first time was unquestionably good," Robert said.
The experience was so good that Robert, who is now 26, continued using Ecstasy up until a few months ago.
"Ecstasy is prevalent at rave clubs," said Honolulu Police Department Maj. Susan Dowsett of the Narcotic/Vice Division. "Some may just go to enjoy the music. But I would be concerned if I was a parent. Kids need supervision, and these teen clubs have no adult supervision."
Raves are all-night, underground dance parties where hundreds of teens crowd into a makeshift club, dancing to fast, thumping techno music and pulsating strobe lights.
Ecstasy, or Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, is also known as MDMA, Adam, XTC, E, Essence or simply "X." Some facts: FACTS ABOUT 'X'
It is manufactured mostly in Europe and Mexico and shipped into Hawaii.
Source: U.S. Customs and the state Narcotics Enforcement Division
Raves can be found on any given weekday or weekend in Honolulu.
Robert said Ecstasy gives people the energy to dance all night.
"One of the biggest dangers is dancing all night, not drinking enough water and getting dehydrated," Robert said.
Ecstasy has been around since the 1980s, but with the emergence of "raves" in Honolulu, the use and availability of Ecstasy, or MDMA, has surged, which has local law enforcement concerned.
"It's a growing problem here, not to the magnitude of cocaine or marijuana, but it is a growing problem," Dowsett said. "We're recovering more pills and powder."
Ecstasy is an amphetamine-based drug with hallucinogenic properties that affect the senses, said State Narcotics Enforcement Division Administrator Keith Kamita. It gives a high "similar to an LSD-type trip," which can last for six to eight hours, he said.
"You think you can sense more, taste more, hear more," he said.
Although the effects of long-term or sustained usage of Ecstasy are still being studied and debated, recent studies say it may cause irreversible damage to nerves in the brain associated with memory and thought. And for people who mix drugs or have heart conditions, it could be fatal. Last year, Mark Tuinei, a former University of Hawaii and Dallas Cowboys lineman, died after mixing heroin with Ecstasy.
Most of the users are young people from middle- to high-income families, U.S. Customs officials said.
"Ecstasy is a stealth drug that has quietly crept into the suburban youth culture," said U.S. Customs Commissioner Raymond Kelly in a statement. "Parents need to know what's going on."
Customs seizures skyrocket
In the first five months of fiscal year 2000, U.S. Customs seized nearly 4 million doses nationwide, compared to 3 million in all of fiscal year 1999. In fiscal year 1998, 750,000 doses were seized.Kamita said he has not come across anyone who makes the drug locally. It takes "a chemist" and a sophisticated laboratory to manufacture the drug, he said.
Nat Aycox, Port Director for the U.S. Customs Service in Honolulu, said Ecstasy is brought to the islands by mail, or is sometimes carried in by a person.
One of the largest seizures locally was last November, when about 1 1/2 pounds shipped into Honolulu from Europe via Canada. The drugs were worth about $20,000 on the street.
Two people in Honolulu were prosecuted in connection with the drug-smuggling case, Aycox said.
"Designer drugs like Ecstasy can be a very serious problem," Kamita said. "A lot of people don't think of it as a serious drug, but it is."
While marijuana and other easily identifiable drugs have a distinct scent, texture and appearance, parents may have a hard time telling the difference between a hit of Ecstasy and an aspirin or a children's vitamin.
"I have a book; it has about 500 different pictures, and they're all Ecstasy," Dowsett said. "They come in all shapes, colors and sizes, even with cute little cartoon characters, like vitamins."
Authorities have recovered pills with dozens of things printed on them, such as a smiley faces, car emblems, lightning bolts, yin and yang symbols, the Nike swooshes and Playboy bunnies.
Meanwhile, Robert said he and his friends moved on from Ecstasy a few months ago because there's a "loss of magic" after awhile. "It's not the same as it was before," he said.
Parents should monitor kids
While the drug has become synonymous with raves, Robert prefers to use Ecstasy with people who are working professionals, in a quiet, private setting, usually at someone's home."It breaks down people's barriers, breaks down boundaries," he said. "It makes you talk a lot more. It makes you open up and reveal your deepest secrets."
Robert downplays the drug's hallucinating effects, but confirms the increased heart rate, jaw clenching and a "blue" feeling the following morning.
Robert said abusing the drug and regularly attending raves will be "hard on your body" since the drug is an amphetamine derivative.
Dowsett advises concerned parents to monitor for swings in a child's behavior or reactions, and to pay attention if they are hanging out with a different group of friends.
And talk, she said. Keeping communication lines open is important.
"For parents, (your children) shouldn't have any pills you didn't give 'em, whether they're aspirin or vitamins," Dowsett said.