Despite a recent major bust of an alleged Ecstasy trafficking ring that involved three UW-Madison students and several arrests made at an organized rave at the Alliant Energy Center last weekend, the popularity of Ecstasy may still be on the rise, according to local authorities.
\We've noticed an increase, both in the amount that is available on the streets and what has been taken by the police in the past years,"" said Madison Police Lt. Brian Ackeret, director of the Dane County Narcotics and Gang Task Force. ""It's an increase that is happening both in Dane County and nationally, and because of that we are making it a top priority, and these recent arrests are examples of that.""
Ecstasy, which goes by a variety of street nicknames, is prized by users for its almost instantaneous effects and few apparent side effects.
""It is a drug unto itself, like no other,"" said Laddie Johnson, a UW-Madison freshman who said he has taken Ecstasy multiple times while attending raves around the country. ""It's a high-energy, instant-appeal type of drug with usually no bad trips.""
Although he said that he personally had never taken any ""bad"" Ecstasy, Johnson added that he has witnessed people who have, some of them his friends.
""It's fun, but it's dangerous too, you can really get some bad stuff,"" Johnson said.
The unpredictability of the drug is something that Jon Hicks, deputy director of the Center for Prevention and Intervention in Madison, distinguishes as one of Ecstasy's biggest dangers.
""Unless you are involved in the making of the drug and have a good idea of the chemical process behind it, then you just can't know what kind'good or bad'of Ecstasy you're getting,"" he said.
Although originally designed to be a therapeutic drug to help patients struggling to interact in public situations, Ecstasy, or MDMA, ""causes injury to the brain, affecting neurons that use the chemical serotonin to communicate with other neurons,"" according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. NIDA also states that in addition to brain damage, depression and other psychological difficulties, as well as various physical side effects, including increased heart rate and blood pressure, come along with Ecstasy usage.
""The thing about Ecstasy is that its effect is very immediate,"" Hicks said. ""An overdose can create serious internal damage to the organs, or give the user seizures, which can directly cause brain damage.""
Hicks said that he, too, has noticed an increase in the use of Ecstasy, which he said is now on the same level of usage as heroin around Madison.
""It's simply a lack of education on people's part about the drug,"" he said, commenting on the rise of Ecstasy.
That lack of education is something that Ackeret attempts to openly address.
""Besides typical policing and enforcement efforts, we try to use educational efforts to get across awareness to high school students, paramedics, emergency room technicians and parents that this is a very dangerous drug,"" Ackeret said.
Although Ecstasy use is more prevalent among college students and young adults, Hicks said reaching younger individuals is the key to halting the growth of abuse.
""Younger kids begin a progression of alcohol and drugs until they find something that they like about intoxication, and Ecstasy, like other club drugs, is something that because of its nature has an appeal,"" Hicks said.
