Thursday, Oct. 12, 2000 | 9:28 a.m.
Mike O'Callaghan is the Las Vegas Sun executive editor.
A week ago the headline for a story in the USA Today newspaper told readers: "Ecstasy knockoff blamed in 9 deaths in Illinois, Florida." Immediately I wondered just how many more messages must be sent to warn Americans about this dangerous drug.
The article in USA Today concluded:
"Kids and parents should know that Ecstasy and these designer drugs are designed to make money," (Steven) Casteel (DEA intelligence chief) says. "There is no quality control in this business. They are not safe. They are not feel-good drugs. Unfortunately, there are (nine) people buried today because of this drug."
That evening, at home, I picked up the fall issue of the Gael Gazette published by Bishop Gorman High School. One page of the school publication had a message from the Heird family, which every parent and child should read.
The Heird family wrote:
"Our daughter, Danielle Heird graduated from Bishop Gorman High School in 1997.
"On the evening of Wednesday, July 19th, she went out to celebrate a birthday party with people she felt she could trust. What should have been an evening of fun and celebration turned into our worst nightmare. She was encouraged to take some 'Ecstasy.' She was told by her friends that it would enhance her emotions. Later she complained about not feeling well and said that she needed to go lie down. The whole time she was vomiting and unable to walk straight. The people she thought she could trust took her to their home. Then they left her there all alone and went out on the town. When they returned, she had passed away in her sleep.
"In memory of Danielle, we are reaching out to all young adults. Please, do not trust anyone who tries to give you a drug of any sort. Be careful when you go out to clubs at night because some people just don't care about your well being. We are telling you this because we don't want your family to have to endure the heartbreak and pain we feel.
"Look around you, the true meaning of life is love, caring and sharing. Embrace your family and friends.
"The only peace we now have is that Danielle is with her grandmother and our Lord in Heaven.
"Danielle, we are loving you and missing you always."
Sun reporters Keith Paul and Erin Neff have written several stories that have warned of the dangers that Ecstasy holds for those who use this so-called recreation drug. As recently as a month ago Paul wrote about five deaths that have resulted from the drug in the Las Vegas Valley. The second paragraph of Paul's story told readers that, "The first known fatality solely attributed to Ecstasy intoxication in the Las Vegas Valley was the December 1999 death of 26-year-old Jennifer Brown, said Ron Flud, Clark County coroner."
Just how many warnings do Southern Nevada families need about this terrible drug? Sen. Joseph R. Biden in July mailed out a publication telling Americans:
"A few months ago we received a significant warning sign that Ecstasy use is becoming a real problem. The University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future survey, a national survey measuring drug use among students, reported that while overall levels of drug use had not increased, use of Ecstasy among high school seniors increased more than 66 percent.
"The survey showed that nearly 6 percent of high school seniors have used Ecstasy in the past year. This may sound like a small number, but put in perspective it is deeply alarming -- it is five times the number of seniors who used heroin and it is just slightly less than the percentage of seniors who used cocaine."
Biden adds that by June of this year the U.S. Customs Service had already seized 6 million Ecstasy pills, and German officials estimate that 2 million more are smuggled into our country every week.
Biden fears the misconception that Ecstasy is not a dangerous drug and it's "no big deal." He writes, "If that isn't a big deal, I don't know what is."
Neither do I, senator. In recent weeks the appearance of PMA, an LSD-like hallucinogen, in Ecstasy has raised the life-and-death stakes even higher.
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