Ecstacy (X) is a serious drug,

and we now have teens doing 12 hits a night or more.

There are 'massage parties' where people try to absolve themselves of the shakes and side effects.

The dangers of methamphetamine are legion, and the data is rolling in.

I have to wade in here, JJJ. How do you ever manage to weild that broad brush you use? You must have Conan-like *strength* anyway. That thing is way too huge.

Anything you consume changes your brain chemistry - even pure water if you happen to be dehydrated and your electrrolytes are out of balance a bit. Have you never had a 'sugar' high? How about a 'sugar low'? Ever been drunk? Have you ever taken Benadryl or diphenhydramine for allergies or to perhaps help you gt to sleep? Did you know it is one of the most popular over-the-counter drugs of abuse for teenagers? Oh yeah - take enough of it and it's just like taking a hit of speed. Of course, if your prostate is a bit enlarged (unusual in the age group that abuses this particular drug) it makes it so you can't urinate which can be unbelievably painful and sends you to the emergency room for help.

How about just plain old coca-cola, Mountain Dew, coffee, etc, etc.... caffeine does have an effect on brain chemistry.

Now - Ecstacy happens to have been banned because of a knee jerk reaction for reasons that were not scientifically sound. Somehow someone somewhere managed to let common sense prevail pertaining to *this* drug. Now the medical community can acutally study it to see what effect it has. Now if they would only do it with marijuana and help countless folks with their chronic pain, chemotherapy induced nausea, and their glaucoma among other conditions that marijuana is *known* to help.

Ecstacy may end up having some benefit.... just like benadryl... but it is the abuse of drugs, using them for unintended or nefarious purposes, that is the problem. It's kind of like guns. Guns don't kill people - people kill people.

Now - before your head explodes over that statement, I have to say that some folks have adverse and sometimes fatal reactions to drugs. Those are unpredicatble and are acceptable based on statistics. Well - one person in a million dying from a drug is fine statistically - it's really bad if you are that one who does react badly.

There are probably massage parties for kids who are coming down from a diphenhydramine high, too.