Meth-laced ecstasy coming from Canda

Ecstasy--or MDMA, a synthetic, psychoactive (mind-altering) drug with hallucinogenic and amphetamine-like properties--laced with methamphetamine (meth) has been entering the U.S. illegal drug markets, particularly in northern border states, warns the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Washington, D.C.

The combination of Ecstasy and methamphetamine can have severe health consequences, especially as each drug induces toxic effects on the brain. They both can interfere with the body's ability to regulate temperature, leading to hyperthermia, which can result in liver, kidney, and cardiovascular system failure and death. The potential for a life-threatening or fatal overdose also is increased when meth-laced Ecstasy is combined with alcohol. Laboratory research suggests that Ecstasy and meth combinations may produce greater adverse neurochemical and behavioral effects than either drug alone.

"This 'Extreme Ecstasy' is a disturbing development in what has been one of the most significant international achievements against the illicit drug trade," states John Waiters, the nation's "Drug Czar." "Historic progress against Ecstasy availability and use is in jeopardy of being rolled back by Canadian criminal organizations. Desperate to develop their client base, they are dangerously altering a product for which demand by youth and young adults had plummeted, and are exploiting vulnerabilities along our shared border."

Ecstasy use in the U.S. jumped in the late 1990s with the rise of the "rave" culture. However, due to national and international law enforcement response, its use diminished in the early 2000s. In fact, the U.S. had witnessed a 54% reduction since 2001 in the number of teens using Ecstasy, although recent data shows progress against the drug has ebbed.

The number of people in the U.S. who have reported that they tried Ecstasy for the first time during the past year increased 40% from 615,000 to 860,000. One-third of these new users are under age 18. After years of increased perception of risk for Ecstasy use, today's young people are not getting the message that Ecstasy is dangerous and potentially deadly, Waiters declares.

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Prior to 2003, Europe (primarily The Netherlands and Belgium) was the predominant source of Ecstasy consumed in the U.S. However, increased cooperation among American and European governments, combined with improved law enforcement operations and mass media reports, effectively dismantled the European-U.S. Ecstasy trade. Now, though, U.S. and Canadian intelligence reports indicate that Canada-based drug trafficking organizations are attempting to fill the supply void, and have increased their Ecstasy production and trafficking drastically.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police estimate that the current combined production capacity of Canadian Ecstasy laboratories exceeds 2,000,000 tablets per week. Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies report large increases in the flow of Ecstasy from Canada into the U.S. In 2003, 568,220 dosage units were seized federally in the 10 Northern border states; a few years later, 5,485,619 dosage units were confiscated. More than 55% of the Ecstasy samples captured during arrests in the U.S. last year contained methamphetamine.

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