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Hung drug hits colombo clubs
By Marisa de Silva

The latest in music, movies, cars, clothes... you name it, someone in Sri Lanka's got it, watched it, heard it or worn it. Being a developing country hasn't stopped certain sections of our society from accessing anything and everything, including designer drugs like Ecstasy.

Ecstasy, according to regulars, is popping up in Colombo nightclubs.

What is Ecstasy? Methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) or Ecstasy is a Schedule I synthetic, psychoactive drug, possessing stimulant and hallucinogenic properties. MDMA was first synthesized in 1912 by a German company possibly to be used as an appetite suppressant and in the late 1970s, was used to facilitate psychotherapy in the U.S. Illicit use of the drug became popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In the western world, it is most often distributed at late-night parties called "raves", at nightclubs, and rock concerts.

Ecstasy is most often available in tablet form, usually in various pastel shades with appealing insignias or symbols on them and is usually swallowed. It is also available as a powder and sometimes snorted and occasionally smoked, but rarely injected. Its effects usually last approximately four to six hours. Ecstasy use also usually results in severe dehydration or exhaustion. It can produce stimulant effects such as an enhanced sense of pleasure, self-confidence and increased energy. Its psychedelic effects include feelings of peacefulness, acceptance and empathy. Users claim they experience feelings of closeness with others and a desire to touch them, earning it the nickname of the 'hug drug'.

"It tends to magnify everything and you just feel a rush of blood, a surge of energy. Everything around me started speeding up and so did I," says *Ali (28), who has 'popped' the pill (in drug jargon) a couple of times. When the effects of the pill wear off, he is left on "quite a low". It is more of a pleasure drug than an addictive drug because it's so expensive, he says.

Some are more detailed in their description of their experience. "I just felt very hyperactive and energized. You just can't keep your hands and legs to yourself," says *Buddhika (24). It helps to heighten your experience of everything around you, from music, to people to the place you're in, he said.

Whilst not being as addictive nor as easily accessible as heroin or cocaine, Ecstasy can cause other adverse effects including nausea, hallucinations, chills, sweating, increases in body temperature, tremors, involuntary teeth clenching, muscle cramping and blurred vision. Users also report after-effects of anxiety, paranoia and depression. A typical Ecstasy overdose is characterized by high blood pressure, faintness, panic attacks, and, in more severe cases, loss of consciousness, seizures, and a drastic rise in body temperature. Some of these overdoses could be fatal, and may even result in heart failure or extreme heat stroke.

In the long run, Ecstasy users may be at risk of permanent brain damage that may manifest itself in depression, anxiety, memory loss, and other neuro-psychotic disorders.

But how alive are authorities to the dangers posed by this drug?

National Dangerous Drugs Control Board Chairman Prof. Ravindra Fernando says Ecstasy is considered an upcoming threat, as it is rapidly spreading amidst the night-clubbing youth of our country and also in the South East Asian region. Both the Police and Customs should be more vigilant and have better surveillance at the airport to detect the drug when it's being brought in, he says.

Compared to other commonly used drugs, Ecstasy has, quite an exclusive and relatively elite market due to the somewhat secret nature of its dealership and high cost. One pill can cost upto Rs.1,500 or Rs. 1,800 making it more expensive than most other drugs sold nowadays. The biggest threat caused to the user is brain haemorrhage, says Prof. Fernando. Adequate research has so far not been done into the drug locally, he added, as the drug is comparatively newer than most drugs sold on the street now. Frequent club goers claim that unless you have some personal contact or a friend who knows something about the dealings of Ecstasy, it's very hard to get your hands on a tablet. However, once you've proved that you can afford it and will be a frequent user, access is relatively easy. As dealership works more as a network, most often it would be dropped off by the dealer at a said spot, on the delivery of cash by the user.

Contrary to the common image of drug dealers people have in mind, "you'd be surprised at how many people you'd just bump into at a party or cocktail would be into dealing the pill," says Mevan*. They may not necessarily be the direct importers of the drug but handle the distribution aspect within their own little circles, on behalf of the dealers.

Ali* says that another reason why Ecstasy is becoming popular is because there are so many local students studying abroad, who have invariably tried it there and bring some down with them for their friends. They carry it in an ordinary medicine bottle, mixed together with other pills so that no suspicion is raised, he says.

So what of detection? Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) Director SSP Pujitha Jayasundera says that as Ecstasy is a synthetic drug with a chemical base instead of a powder base, it cannot be sniffed out by dogs. Since it's brought in in the guise of normal medical drugs, tracking it is that much harder.

But in comparison to other drugs on the street, Ecstasy is a lesser threat, he claimed due to its high cost and exclusive circulation.

Though managers of leading clubs in Colombo told The Sunday Times that they had not experienced any problems regarding Ecstasy in their clubs, they admitted to being aware of its prevalence amidst today's youth. But with Ecstasy being viewed more as a high-society drug, anti-narcotics campaigners are not yet targeting users in their campaigns. Alcohol and Drug Information Centre

Programme Officer Kumari Welegedera says although Ecstasy use is prevalent within the city, it is not part of their usual awareness campaigns as it is mostly circulated and consumed among upper society except for instances where ADIC would be directly addressing the target market.

Sri Lanka Anti Narcotics Association (SLANA) Director Dharshinie Guniyangoda explains that creating awareness amongst the youth, regarding the ill-effects of Ecstasy would be important in fighting the threat. Never tell youth 'NOT' to do something because it would be quite futile, but instead educate them on what could happen to them if they took the drug. There is also a need to tell them what they should do if by chance they do end up taking the drug, she says.

Parental awareness and supervision should be the key, she advises. Especially since Ecstasy is an expensive drug, parents should be watchful of how their children spend their money. She says that even at school level, teachers should be on the lookout for any tell-tale signs of behavioural changes in their students. Both parents and teachers should leave communication lines open for children to approach them if they need support or assistance, she adds.

(* Names have been changed.)

Lankans rally round Anil

Sri Lankans have been dubbed uncaring and selfish in recent times. But just one instance of how wrong these stereotypes are, came to the fore when The Sunday Times launched a fund for helpless little Anil* who is HIV positive.

Slowly but surely, cash and cheques keep flowing into the fund, as kindhearted Sri Lankans rally round to see Anil through the agony of his disease and hopefully give him a longer childhood. Following numerous requests after infant Anil's story was published in the PLUS of June 15, The Sunday Times, in coordination with the Commissioner of Probation and Child Care of the Western Province, opened Savings Account No. 1-0001-08-4276-1 at the National Savings Bank Head Office branch. Donations can be made to any branch of the NSB islandwide, to be channelled to his account. Anil, became a ward of the state when he was abandoned by his mother soon after his birth at the Castle Street Hospital for Women and was handed over to the Commissioner of Probation and Child Care by the hospital authorities. He was being cared for in a state home, until he was found to be HIV Positive. Now being treated at the Mulleriyawa Infectious Diseases Hospital, Anil needs medication to keep the HIV virus down. The government, unfortunately, does not provide anti-retroviral drugs through the free healthcare system. As of last week, Anil's savings book recorded Rs. 53,000 showing this little orphan that "guardian angels" scattered across the country are thinking of him and wishing him well. Every donation sent through The Sunday Times to Anil's fund will be acknowledged and the monies utilized for his medical needs. The funds will be channelled through the Probation and Child Care authorities.

* Anil's name has been changed to protect his identity.

Hung drug hits colombo clubs By Marisa de Silva

Hung drug hits colombo clubs
By Marisa de Silva