Editorial: Keeping Ecstasy Out of Lake County

Chicago Daily Herald,
October 29, 2003
By Lee Filas
Daily Herald Staff Writer

About four years ago northern Illinois began to see a new illicit drug called Ecstasy or MDMA. The name includes no indication of the horrible effects of using this drug.

Most Ecstasy found in the United States comes from the Netherlands. The drug is made by criminals and manufactured in clandestine laboratories with no regard for the user. Most Ecstasy pills are produced in an unsanitary environment that would shock Ecstasy users.

Many health experts feel Ecstasy is the most harmful illicit drug. Ecstasy can cause permanent brain damage after only one use. You also can overdose and die from taking Ecstasy. That brain damage caused by Ecstasy use may not become apparent for years. The drug is so dangerous because users do not know what they are getting. If the pill contains the drug Ecstasy, users do not know the dosage, and if it is not Ecstasy, the pill may contain a more powerful dangerous drug or poison.

Many youths feel Ecstasy use is no more dangerous than taking a vitamin or aspirin. Many young adults who would never try marijuana or other drugs, will try Ecstasy. Ecstasy does not have the weight gain of alcohol, and there are no needles required to use it.

Although Ecstasy's name is appealing, an overdose on Ecstasy is not. An Ecstasy overdose causes the body temperature to rise and the victim begins to bleed out of every orifice as the bowels release their contents. One person who died of an Ecstasy overdose in Illinois had a body temperature of 108 degrees.

Just as Ecstasy became known in Lake County, Congressman Mark Kirk contacted me and asked that Lake County MEG perform community awareness seminars. The congressman asked the Dutch ambassador to invite three people to attend an Ecstasy and synthetic drug conference in the Netherlands on Oct. 9 and 10.

During the conference, it was learned that Ecstasy use and the manufacturing of the drug are expanding. Dutch law regarding illicit drugs and the penalties for producing and selling them is very liberal, which explains why they are the leading producer of Ecstasy in the world.

Although the Netherlands produces the most Ecstasy in the world, they have few deaths caused from an overdose of the drug. Their society encourages education, prevention and treatment of drug addicts. We would be naive to think that enforcement is the only answer. Congressman Kirk's forward thinking helped start an awareness program that continues today. On Oct. 20, Congressman Kirk hosted a club drug summit at Wheeling High School.

Lake County has seen few health issues regarding Ecstasy use compared to surrounding counties. I believe the reason for this is because Congressman Kirk saw the problem years ago and addressed it.

This problem should transcend political boundaries and become a priority with all elected officials. I am not a constituent of Congressman Kirk nor do I belong to the some political party, but I must recognize his hard work and insight regarding this terrible potential problem in Lake County.