county cracks down on ecstasy

BY MIKE LAROSE
STAFF WRITER

August 02, 2001

Since police officers first noticed ecstasy in Lake County four years ago, it has spread like a disease among grade school to college-age youth.

“If this had been a disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would have been out in force,” said Terry Lemming, director of the Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group.

Though not classified as a disease, use of ecstasy has been found to be dangerous, and sometimes deadly.

Efforts to keep ecstasy out of the county, and to increase awareness of parents, schools and youth about the presence and dangers of the drug, have been led by the Metropolitan Enforcement Group, which includes undercover officers from 28 law enforcement agencies. Officers run sting operations to catch ecstasy dealers, make presentations at schools and provide information on the group’s Web site www.lakecountymeg.org.

“We at LCMEG decided to do something more because this ecstasy problem is so bad,” Lemming said.

The problem went from 0 to 60 in four years. Last year, Lemming’s group made about 60 arrests involving ecstasy. He anticipates that the popularity of the drug will continue to grow.

In April, undercover officers seized 3,000 ecstasy pills and made four arrests in a sting operation in Gurnee. The seizure was said to be the largest ever in Lake County, with a street value of about $120,000.

Sheriff Gary Del Re is also concerned about the growing popularity of the so-called “club drug.”

Parents play a critical role, he said, and need to make sure they know where their children are on weekends, and what they’re doing. Although ecstasy is associated with all-night “rave” parties that attract teenagers, it can often be found wherever teenagers gather.

In May 2000, at a rave party at the Antioch Country Club, undercover officers purchased ecstasy from three different people at the party.

Dangerous drug And teenage ecstasy users don’t realize how dangerous the drug is.

“I think there’s a tendency of teenagers to play down the risk of this drug,” Del Re said.

Education is a good approach, because despite efforts to stem the flow of drugs into the United States, interdiction efforts only succeed in stopping 15 to 20 percent of the drugs from Mexico, said Del Re.

Drug enforcement shouldn’t even be called a “War on Drugs,” because of that small percentage, he said.

“It’s a catch phrase. It’s a buzz word that makes people feel good,” he said.

About 90 percent of the ecstasy distributed in the United States comes from Europe, said Lemming. It’s easier to conceal and smuggle than some other narcotics because it’s odorless.

Officers have had to learn about the characteristics of the drug, which present different challenges than other illegal drugs.

“It’s a new drug and we’re still learning how to fight it,” Lemming said.

Possession of ecstasy is a felony, and convicted offenders can receive probation, or up to three years in prison. Most first-time offenders are sentenced to probation and mandatory drug treatment, said Daniel Shanes, supervisor of the Drug Prosecutions Division of the Lake County State’s Attorney.

“Our emphasis on first-time offenders who have drug problems is to try to put them on probation, to get them in a treatment program, to get them off the drug,” Shanes said.

Cocaine remains the predominate drug in Lake County, but ecstasy is becoming more widely available, and is often sold by dealers who sell cocaine and other drugs, he said. When a dealer is caught selling cocaine and ecstasy, he would be prosecuted on the cocaine charge, a higher-level offense. Ecstasy bill  But a bill before the state legislature could change that. The bill would bring ecstasy up to the same offense schedule as cocaine and heroin.

There were more than 400 arrests in Lake County involving cocaine last year, said Shanes.

Ecstasy is also known as MDMA, an abbreviation for its chemical name (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine).

It is a stimulant with mild hallucinogenic properties, originally developed and patented by the pharmaceutical company Merck, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. It was developed in Germany in 1912, for unknown uses. MDMA became illegal in the United States in 1985.

It is commonly taken orally in tablet or capsule form, though it is sometimes sold in powder form, and can be snorted or smoked. The user feels the effects within one hour, and the effects last from three to six hours.

Physical effects while under the influence include increased blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature. Muscle tension, involuntary teeth clenching, nausea and blurred vision may also be experienced. Use sometimes results in heart failure or stroke.

Ecstasy affects brain serotonin levels, giving the user a feeling of peace, enhanced pleasure and emotional connection with others. It is sometimes called the “hug drug.”

Short-term effects of use include confusion, depression, sleep problems and severe anxiety. Studies have shown long-lasting damage to brain cells containing serotonin in heavy users of ecstasy. Memory and motor skills may also be altered.

Certain behaviors can sometimes indicate ecstasy use, such as staying out all night, irritability and inability to sleep. Users will often carry baby pacifiers (for teeth clenching), and fluorescent light sticks for enhancing the visual experience.

No deaths have been attributed to ecstasy use in Lake County, but Lemming said there have been deaths from the drug in McHenry and DuPage counties. DuPage County experienced a growth in ecstasy use before Lake County, he said. But it’s hard to gauge the exact magnitude of the problem.

“It’s a lot worse than we think right now,” Lemming said.