Ecstasy, a drug mostly associated with dance parties known as "raves," is now finally being recognized for what it is: a drug that poses considerable danger to those who use it.
People who sell ecstasy will face much stiffer penalties due to action taken Tuesday by the U.S. Sentencing Commission in response to a mandate from Congress.
The new guidelines more than triple potential jail terms for people caught selling 800 or more pills. Previously, sentencing for first-time offenders was 15 to 21 months. Now, those caught will be sentenced to terms between 63 and 78 months.
The action is due in part to the proliferation of ecstasy. Whereas it once was limited primarily to night clubs and raves, it is now being sold on the street, at high schools and even at coffee shops in some cities.
Those who use it like the way it stimulates the senses. That's why it's so popular at raves, parties that are shrouded in secrecy, that typically begin around 2 a.m., and whose purpose is to overload all of a person's senses with sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.
People taking ecstasy put themselves at risk for permanent damage and even death. According to medical experts, ecstasy increases the user's heart rate and blood pressure and can increase the body's temperature to 107 degrees. There is evidence that the harm the drug does to the body's ability to regulate its own temperature may be permanent. The drug also affects sleep, memory and the ability to reason. Ecstasy users like the way the drug produces euphoria and reduces inhibitions, but they seldom talk about how depressed users get a day or two after taking the drug.
Ecstasy is a derivative of methamphetamine and has been described as "meth with attitude." But no matter how it is described, it is a dangerous drug whose users put themselves at great risk.
The Salt Lake District Attorney's Office is taking a zero-policy stance against this and other club drugs and has been instructed not to plea bargain any cases involving ecstasy. That may be the only way to get the community to understand how serious the problem is.
Because many, if not the majority, of ecstasy users are in their teens, parents need to become informed about the dangers of the drug and counsel their children accordingly. Parental involvement coupled with effective law enforcement are the tools needed to keep ecstasy and those who sell it under control.