[Senate Hearing 107-154]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 107-154
ECSTASY USE RISES: WHAT MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE BY THE GOVERNMENT TO
COMBAT THE PROBLEM?
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON
GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
JULY 30, 2001
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Governmental Affairs
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COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Connecticut, Chairman
CARL LEVIN, Michigan FRED THOMPSON, Tennessee
DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii TED STEVENS, Alaska
RICHARD J. DURBIN, Illinois SUSAN M. COLLINS, Maine
ROBERT G. TORRICELLI, New Jersey GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio
MAX CLELAND, Georgia PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware THAD COCHRAN, Mississippi
JEAN CARNAHAN, Missouri ROBERT F. BENNETT, Utah
MARK DAYTON, Minnesota JIM BUNNING, Kentucky
Joyce A. Rechtschaffen, Staff Director and Counsel
Jinnett Rona-Finley, Fellow, CIA
Kiersten Todt Coon, Fellow for Senator Lieberman,
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
Hannah S. Sistare, Minority Staff Director and Counsel
William M. Outhier, Investgative Counsel to the Minority
Darla D. Cassell, Chief Clerk
C O N T E N T S
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Opening statement:
Page
Senator Lieberman............................................ 1
Senator Bunning.............................................. 3
Senator Akaka................................................ 4
Prepared statement:
Senator Levin................................................ 38
WITNESSES
Monday, July 30, 2001
Dayna Moore, Phoenix House Drug Rehabilitation Center............ 5
Philip McCarthy, Phoenix House Drug Rehabilitation Center........ 6
Donald R. Vereen, Jr., M.D., M.P.H., Deputy Director, Office of
National Drug Control Policy, Executive Office of the President 13
Alan I. Leshner, Ph.D., Director, National Institute on Drug
Abuse, National Institutes of Health........................... 16
John C. Varrone, Assistant Commissioner of Customs, Office of
Investigations, U.S. Customs Service........................... 18
Joseph D. Keefe, Chief of Operations, Drug Enforcement
Administration, U.S. Department of Justice..................... 20
John M. Bailey, Chief State's Attorney, State of Connecticut..... 22
Roy Rutland, Detective, Narcotics Bureau, Miami-Dade Police
Department..................................................... 24
Alphabetical List of Witnesses
Bailey, John M.:
Testimony.................................................... 22
Prepared statement........................................... 81
Keefe, Joseph D.:
Testimony.................................................... 20
Prepared statement........................................... 70
Leshner, Alan I., Ph.D.:
Testimony.................................................... 16
Prepared statement with an attachment........................ 53
McCarthy, Philip:
Testimony.................................................... 6
Prepared statement........................................... 42
Moore, Dayna:
Testimony.................................................... 5
Prepared statement........................................... 39
Rutland, Roy:
Testimony.................................................... 24
Prepared statement........................................... 84
Varrone, John C.:
Testimony.................................................... 18
Prepared statement with an attachment........................ 63
Vereen, Donald R., Jr., M.D., M.P.H:
Testimony.................................................... 13
Prepared statement with an attachment........................ 45
ECSTASY USE RISES: WHAT MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE BY THE GOVERNMENT TO
COMBAT THE PROBLEM?
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MONDAY, JULY 30, 2001
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Governmental Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:30 a.m., in
room SD-342, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Joseph
Lieberman, Chairman of the Committee, presiding.
Present: Senators Lieberman, Akaka, and Bunning.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR LIEBERMAN
Chairman Lieberman. Good morning and welcome to this
hearing of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, in which
we will begin to examine the threat posed by the drug Ecstasy
and the government's response to increasing Ecstasy use and
abuse by our Nation's youth. I began to hear about Ecstasy
earlier this year from concerned parents and from the media.
During April, I asked to meet with law enforcement authorities,
parents and students in Connecticut, and I learned a lot about
this latest threat to our children. I learned that it is
entering our country in ever-growing quantities; that the
increase in use by our Nation's youth has reached arguably
epidemic proportions, and that despite the evidence to the
contrary, kids do not think Ecstasy is a harmful drug.
What I have not learned enough about yet is if the
government at all levels is doing all that it can to stop the
continued spread of this drug, and that is one of the key
questions that we will explore this morning at this hearing.
According to a recent study, the number of eighth graders
using Ecstasy at least once in the past year increased 82
percent between 1999 and 2000, 82 percent, and the number of
those using it within the past month increased 75 percent.
While the overall percentage of our young people using this
drug remains low in absolute terms, the testimony of one of the
witnesses that we are honored to have before us today points
out that Ecstasy has now replaced inhalants as the third-most
frequently used drug among high school seniors in America, and
that is behind marijuana and methamphetamines.
The U.S. Customs Service reports that its Ecstasy seizures
have surged 165 percent between fiscal year 1999 and 2000.
These are alarming statistics that were brought home to me
during the meetings I had in Connecticut in April. Ecstasy is a
problem at so-called raves and at schools, in cities, and in
suburbs.
In fact, on the very same day that I was to meet with law
enforcement about this drug in Connecticut, police arrested an
individual who was trying to use a methamphetamine lab to
manufacture Ecstasy in the small Connecticut town of North
Stonington. During my meetings, I was surprised to learn not
only how dramatically Ecstasy use is increasing among young
people, but also how so many of those young people mistakenly
believe that it does no harm. Ecstasy is far from benign, as we
will hear today. Its dangers are well-documented and painfully
experienced. Ecstasy is toxic to the human nervous system. It
can lead to kidney and cardiovascular failure. It can overload
the heart, causing attacks or strokes, and especially troubling
because we are talking about young people, the drug can impede
a user's ability to learn and to remember.
Because this drug is beginning to do serious damage to
people in our country, particularly young people, I think we
have an obligation to educate and to warn them and their
parents about its danger, and then to do what we can to
coordinate Federal, State and local law enforcement efforts
against Ecstasy. We are going to start today's hearing by
listening to two young people who are courageous enough to be
willing to come forward and speak to us today, Dayna Moore and
Philip McCarthy, who have fought an addiction to Ecstasy. I
appreciate very much their willingness to testify and I have
the feeling that more than anything else that anybody says
today, your testimony really will make this hearing worthwhile
and send a message out to other teenagers, particularly about
the dangers here.
We are then going to hear from a panel of Federal, State
and local officials. Dr. Alan Leshner of the National Institute
on Drug Abuse will discuss his work that makes clear that
Ecstasy is not a harmless drug. Dr. Donald Vereen of the Office
of National Drug Control Policy, also known as the Drug Czar's
office, will offer us an overview of the many facets of our
government's war on this particular drug. Joseph Keefe, Chief
of Operations at DEA, and a representative of the Customs
Commissioner--I know Mr. Winwood was supposed to be here, but
he has been detained and a deputy of his is with us--
respectively will tell us of the challenges Ecstasy poses to
Federal law enforcement; Miami-Dade police officer, Roy
Rutland, who will testify behind a screen because much of his
work is undercover; and finally Connecticut State's Attorney
Jack Bailey will give us State and local law enforcement's
perspective on this latest drug epidemic and threat to our
children.
Today, I hope these Federal, State and local officials will
provide a comprehensive picture of what the government is and
is not doing right now and what we in Congress can do to help
them do more. I welcome all of the witnesses, and particularly
want to give a special greeting to my longtime friend, Jack
Bailey from Connecticut, who has had some considerable success
in fighting Ecstasy through his office's Nuisance Abatement
Unit, which we will hear about.
Before turning to the first panel, I want to explain the
screen in the well to my left. As I already mentioned, one of
our witnesses on the second panel, Detective Rutland, is an
undercover detective. Many of the people with whom he works are
unaware of his true identity. Should a photograph of Detective
Rutland appear on television or in the newspapers in his
hometown, it would greatly increase the chances of compromising
his identity and indeed his personal safety, as well, and
possibly affect the outcome of one or more investigations. In
light of this, Detective Rutland has requested that no
television, video cameras or other cameras photograph him
during his testimony.
In accordance with the Committee's rules of procedure,
without objection, we are granting his request. Detective
Rutland is now sitting before us with a screen around him in
order to protect his identity. In addition, no television
cameras or other photographs will be permitted of him during
this session, although cameras can televise or photograph the
proceedings from the other side of the screen and, of course,
of the other witnesses. I appreciate the cooperation of the
news media in this, and I would now call on my friend and
colleague, Senator Akaka, for an opening statement--I am sorry,
Senator Bunning?
Senator Bunning. Yes, I have a short opening statement.
Chairman Lieberman. You moved quietly into the room.
Senator Bunning. I was here before you got here.
Chairman Lieberman. Thank you. That may be why.
Senator Bunning. That is how quietly I got here.
Chairman Lieberman. You are a big man, too. I thank you
very much for being here. We will call on Senator Bunning now.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR BUNNING
Senator Bunning. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The use of
illegal drugs is a serious problem in this country, and I am
pleased that we are holding this hearing today on Ecstasy. Drug
abuse not only affects the drug addicts and users, instead,
these illegal drugs take a toll on the whole community, from
increasing crime to breaking apart families, to a general decay
of the community structure. In my State of Kentucky, Ecstasy
has not yet gained a strong foothold. Right now, drugs like
marijuana are more of a problem. In fact, according to the
National Drug Intelligence Center, Kentucky law enforcement
contends that marijuana is the State's largest cash crop, and
that Daniel Boone National Forest, which is located in eastern
Kentucky, has become one of the primary areas for growing
marijuana plants in the State. Daniel Boone National Forest
happens to be a park that encompasses about--I would say about
one-fifth of the State land mass. So you can imagine how big
and how often we have illegal marijuana grown there. This is
nothing to be proud of.
Although Ecstasy has been around for many years, its
increasing use and trafficking in the United States is
alarming. Unfortunately, Kentucky is not isolated from this
trend, and in the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Airport, the
airport has seized approximately 50,000 Ecstasy tablets from
three flights originating in Belgium from November 1999 to
March 2000. Also, in July 2000, the airport seized an
additional 1.44 kilograms of Ecstasy on a flight originating in
Los Angeles. So it is a constant battle in the Greater
Cincinnati Airport because of the international traffic.
In Kentucky, the drugs are primarily sold in high schools
and colleges, clubs, and all-night raves. Raves have been held
in Louisville, Bowling Green, Covington, Erlanger, Lexington,
Murray, and Newport, which are not very big towns, except for
Louisville. As the demand for this drug rises, I am afraid we
will see an increase in deaths of our young people and an
increase in violence often associated with selling drugs. I am
looking forward especially to hearing from the first panel, the
two young people who have the courage to come forth and tell us
the problems that can come from an addiction to drugs.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Lieberman. Thanks, Senator Bunning and Senator
Akaka.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR AKAKA
Senator Akaka. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I wish to
express my appreciation for your holding today's hearing on the
rising use of MDMA, or Ecstasy. As all witnesses will testify,
Ecstasy, the fastest-growing illegal drug, is a dangerous
chemical and a public health problem. Its perception as a safe
and harmless mood-enhancing drug is false. There are serious
side effects, including brain damage, depression, and possibly
death. Brain damage, depression, death--this does not sound
like Ecstasy to me. The use of Ecstasy is on the rise in my
home State of Hawaii. It is the only illicit drug to show
increased levels of abuse last year.
According to a recent study by the Hawaii Department of
Health, the use of Ecstasy is increasing, particularly among
high school students. Although Ecstasy use in Hawaii is below
the national average, unfortunately my State has not always
lagged behind the mainland on emerging drug use. Hawaii's law
enforcement agencies and health officials were the first to
identify the threat of crystal methamphetamine, known in the
islands as ice or crystal meth. This smokable form of
methamphetamine came to Hawaii in the mid-1980's and continues
to be the biggest drug problem facing our State. Eleven years
ago, I proposed the first Federal legislation to increase the
penalties for trafficking in crystal meth. I also sponsored
legislation to place restrictions on the purchase of precursor
drugs, the chemical components used to manufacture crystal
meth.
While ice remains the overall illegal drug of choice in
Hawaii, law enforcement and public health officials are
targeting Ecstasy, as well. In 1999, Hawaii was designated as a
high-intensity drug-trafficking area, or HIDTA, which is
helping to interdict the flow of drugs into the State. We are
fighting the spread of crystal meth through the Federal, State
and local partnership, and we will fight the use of Ecstasy, as
well. This summer, the Honolulu Police Department created a
special unit to target Ecstasy. A key component will have task
force members talking to young people and businesses that host
raves parties, where Ecstasy may be used, about the dangers of
the drug. I am pleased to co-sponsor S. 1208, the Ecstasy
Prevention Act, which will provide much-needed funds for HIDTA
task forces, including Hawaii, for anti-Ecstasy law enforcement
activities.
The bill would also fund a national media campaign, as well
as medical research into the effects of Ecstasy. Mr. Chairman,
again I would like to thank you for calling today's hearing on
Ecstasy. I look forward to our witnesses' testimony on the
scope of the Ecstasy problem, and I thank them for being with
us.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Lieberman. Thanks, Senator Akaka. Just a random
sample of Members of the Committee here, from Kentucky to
Connecticut to Hawaii, each of us testifying from our own
State's perspective about the appearance of this drug. I think
this provides evidence of the national scope of the problem.
Let us now go to our first panel, Dayna Moore and Philip
McCarthy. Both are residents of Phoenix House Drug
Rehabilitation Center in Ronkonkoma, New York, and I thank the
folks at Phoenix House, which is a nationally-recognized
facility, for enabling the two of you to be here, and most of
all, again I thank the two of you.
Dayna, do you want to start? Thanks very much, and please
now offer the testimony that you have prepared.
TESTIMONY OF DAYNA MOORE,\1\ PHOENIX HOUSE DRUG REHABILITATION
CENTER
Ms. Moore. Good morning. My name is Dayna Moore, and I
would like to thank the Committee for giving me the opportunity
to testify today. I am a resident of a Phoenix House
residential drug treatment program in Long Island, New York.
Before coming to Phoenix House 6 months ago, I was 20 pounds
underweight and I would often go 2 or 3 days without sleep. I
would not go to school for a month at a time and I had no hope
for the future. I was going nowhere and I did not care. My life
was spiraling out of control because I was addicted to Ecstasy.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The prepared statement of Ms. Moore appears in the Appendix on
page 39.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had not always been a kid in trouble. Until I was 13, I
was an honor student. I grew up in a nice middle-class town
with two parents at home. I helped out raising my little
brother and sister, and 3 days a week I went to dance class,
ballet, jazz and tap. I was good at them all. I had hoped
someday to be a dance teacher. I also sang in the school
chorus. When I was 13, I tried marijuana. I used Ecstasy for
the first time when I was 14 and it completely changed my life.
My friends had been doing it for awhile, and they told me it
was the best experience of their lives. I was scared, but I
fell in to peer pressure and tried it. I swallowed the pill,
and \1/2\ hour later I started to feel it. The first words that
came out of my mouth were, ``This is the greatest feeling ever.
I have no problems.'' Nothing could bring me down. I had so
much energy and I loved everyone.
But when I came down, I fell into a deep, dark hole. It was
a depression that I could not stand, and I could only get out
of it by letting time pass or by taking more Ecstasy. From that
day on, my life began to go downhill. I began using Ecstasy
every day. I had already been in trouble from smoking marijuana
and skipping school, but now I found it impossible to get up in
the mornings and I stopped going to school for days and weeks
at a time. I was the subject of a PINS petition, meaning I was
a person in need of supervision. A judge eventually ordered me
into an outpatient drug treatment program. I went for 7 months,
but I got high the whole time.
First, I was able to buy Ecstasy by lying to my mother. I
would ask for money for movies or for clothes, then I would
spend it on Ecstasy. When that did not work anymore, I would
steal money from my parents' wallets. In the beginning, I hid
my drug use from my parents. After awhile, I did not care
anymore. What could they do about it anyway? My mother would
say, ``You have not been eating,'' or ``You have not been
sleeping,'' and I would just say, ``Yeah, Mom, I was using
Ecstasy.''
Sometimes my mother would plead with me, ``You could die
from this,'' and I would tell her I did not care. I knew this
was what drugs could do to me, but I just could not stop. The
addiction I developed for Ecstasy was too strong for me to
overcome alone. Ecstasy led me to harder drugs like cocaine and
angel dust. My drug use just got worse and worse, and I kept
failing drug tests ordered by the courts. When I finally went
to court with my mother, we both asked the judge for help. I
knew my family loved me very much and they supported me, but I
had destroyed their trust in me. I knew it was time to regain
it. The judge ordered me into a long-term residential treatment
at Phoenix House.
Since I have entered treatment, my life has changed
drastically. Over the past 6 months, I have learned to stop
living for the next brief high. I have realized that by doing
drugs I was going absolutely nowhere and I was throwing my life
away. I have focused again on who I am and on my education,
something that was always so important to me. I am thankful
that my relationship with my family is strong again. My family
is now very proud of me and that makes me happy. To anyone who
thinks Ecstasy is not a serious drug, I give this advice: Stop
before you get hurt. I spent years chasing that first magical
high, and that chase almost killed me. I was once a normal kid,
and Ecstasy took me down a deadly, destructive path I could
never have imagined. Life is too precious. Ecstasy is not worth
it. Thank you.
Chairman Lieberman. Thank you, Dayna. Your parents have
every reason to be proud of you and we are grateful to you for
coming forward today, and I bet a lot of other parents around
the country are grateful to you, as well. I am going to come
back and ask you some questions, but let's hear next from
Philip McCarthy.
TESTIMONY OF PHILIP McCARTHY,\1\ PHOENIX HOUSE DRUG
REHABILITATION CENTER
Mr. McCarthy. Good morning. My name is Phil McCarthy and I
want to thank you for inviting me today. I am a resident of a
Phoenix House drug treatment program in Long Island, New York.
I would like to tell you about my life on Ecstasy, a life I am
not proud of. Three years of my life revolved around Ecstasy,
getting high and finding the money to get high. At times, I
robbed houses for television sets and anything else of value.
The reason? I needed over $300 a week for Ecstasy. I am 17
years-old and I was a pretty good kid. I grew up in middle-
class neighborhoods in Connecticut and Long Island. I had good
grades in high school and played junior varsity basketball,
baseball, and hockey. I liked to draw and I wanted to become an
architect, but in eighth grade I tried marijuana and I got
heavily involved.
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\1\ The prepared statement of Mr. McCarthy appears in the Appendix
on page 42.
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The next year, I was at a party and a friend showed me a
few Ecstasy pills. At first, I said no, but I could see
everyone having fun, so I took a pill. It was amazing. I felt
like the world was flowing with love and my body felt unreal. I
felt like I could do anything. I had so much confidence and
everyone seemed so happy. It was a high I definitely wanted
again. Pretty soon I was using Ecstasy almost every night.
Sometimes I would go 2 or 3 nights without sleep and I did not
eat all day. You could tell that I was living a rough life by
the bags under my eyes and my low weight.
After awhile, I started to stay away from home. When I did
come home, I would not talk to my family. I would not even look
at anyone. I would just walk straight to my room or walk
straight out the front door. Getting money to support my
Ecstasy habit became a problem. At first, I asked my
grandmother for money for the movies. Pretty soon she stopped
giving me money, so my friends and I started looking for other
ways. We offered to sell drugs for kids who gave us their
money, but we just walked away and gave them nothing in return.
That worked a few times, but we needed even more money. So we
started going into the open windows of houses and stealing TVs,
VCRs and anything else we could sell.
Some people may say that Ecstasy is not addicting, and it
may not be physically addicting, but I can tell you I was
scared to death of breaking into houses, yet I wanted to get
high so badly I was willing to risk it. And by this time, I
needed three to five pills a day to get high, and they cost $20
a pill. It was an expensive habit and it was not always a
pleasant experience. When I came down from Ecstasy, I felt
depressed, angry and lonely. I would tell myself over and over,
``I hate this. I will never do this again.'' But, of course,
the next day I would get high again. Because of Ecstasy, I
stole, I associated with criminals, I skipped school and I got
in trouble with the courts. I was incarcerated six times in
juvenile detention centers. For 3 years, I was on probation,
and during that time I got high.
Finally, the court ordered me into Phoenix House. Over the
past 3 months in treatment, I have begun to learn about myself.
I have learned to control my emotions and to think before I
act. I have learned that I do not need drugs to have fun, to
have friends, and to live my life. I have also learned to talk
to my parents and tell them the truth, because the truth--no
matter what it is--does not hurt as much as a lie. I feel
remorse for what I have done and the damage I have caused to
people's property and their lives. Perhaps the first step I can
take in making it up to people is by telling you today--is by
telling you what I have learned. Ecstasy is not a fun,
lighthearted drug. It can ruin lives. It can make you sick. It
can make you do things you never would have done otherwise. My
advice to anyone thinking of taking Ecstasy is stay away.
Ecstasy is bad news. Thank you.
Chairman Lieberman. Thank you, Philip. That was a very
strong statement. Let me begin the questioning. One of the
things that concerns a lot of people about Ecstasy is that we
hear that it is thought by a lot of young people to not be
dangerous and not addictive. And I know when I met with people
in Connecticut, they said that often kids will say to their
parents, ``I am going to a rave, a big party at a warehouse or
out in a field, or I am going to a club and there is no alcohol
served there,'' so as to be reassuring. But then Ecstasy is
sold there, and, of course, it has all the damaging, painful
effects that you have described.
I wonder if both of you could just talk a little bit about
whether that is what you understood about Ecstasy, that it was
not dangerous when you first used it, and not in any detail
about exactly where, but what were the circumstances in which
you first used it? Was it at a rave? Was it at a club? Dayna,
do you want to go first?
Ms. Moore. The first time I used it, a couple of my
friends, we were just hanging out on the street and they had a
couple, and I just took them.
Chairman Lieberman. What did they tell you about it at that
point?
Ms. Moore. They did not tell me any of the effects or where
it came from or whether or not it was dangerous. They just told
me it could get you high and it will make you have fun and it
will make you feel good, and for awhile I was seeing people
taking it, and it looked interesting and I was curious. So I
tried it.
Chairman Lieberman. Right.
Philip, how about you?
Mr. McCarthy. The first time I used it, I was at a party
with all my friends.
Chairman Lieberman. At a house or at a club?
Mr. McCarthy. At one of my friends' house, because their
parents were on vacation, and like a lot of my friends were
older than me and they used the drug like a--times before me.
So I saw how they were all having fun and how they were acting.
They were all like happy, talking to each other about anything.
They did not really care. So I just decided to do it, and like
Dayna said, none of them really explained the dangers of it and
the after-effects, either. They just said you had a great time
on it and you could feel like you could do anything.
Chairman Lieberman. Were you told at that point that it was
not dangerous, or were you not?
Mr. McCarthy. They really did not say anything about it,
like if it was dangerous or not. They just said if you took it,
you would have like the greatest time of your life.
Chairman Lieberman. Maybe we should go back to some basics
for people who are listening or following this. Did you both
take it in pill form?
Mr. McCarthy. Yeah.
Ms. Moore. Yes.
Chairman Lieberman. About how much did it cost per pill?
Mr. McCarthy. Like $20 a pill.
Chairman Lieberman. Was that about the same, Dayna?
Ms. Moore. Yes.
Chairman Lieberman. Both of you have described a situation
in which, though the word is out that this is not addictive,
physically addictive, you both became addicted to it. How do
you explain that, or do you want to describe what the addictive
feeling was?
Ms. Moore. It is more of a mental addiction, because the
first time you do it, it is great, and afterward, after you do
it for awhile, the high is never the same as the first time,
and you are chasing--you are always trying to do more pills or
different kinds to try to get that same first high, and it does
not happen. And when you come down off the pill, you are back
to reality again and you are really depressed, and your whole
body hurts and you want to do that pill again to get back up
there.
Chairman Lieberman. Does your body actually hurt, or is it
more of a mental hurt?
Ms. Moore. Your whole body just feels like sore, and your
jaw hurts. You are pale. You feel weak the next day.
Chairman Lieberman. Philip, how about you?
Mr. McCarthy. Could you repeat the question real quick?
Chairman Lieberman. Yes. The question is the word is out
that Ecstasy is not addictive, even though it can be harmful.
But both of you describe what sure sounds like an addiction. So
talk to me a little bit about why it became addictive for you.
Mr. McCarthy. Well, the first time I did it, like my
friends were telling me they do not do it every day, it is just
like a weekend thing. It is like it is not really addictive at
all. But when I first did it, the first time I did it, after
that I really could not get enough of it. I wanted to do it
every day, and if I would have had the money to do it every
day, I probably would have, and that is pretty much what led me
to do all the things that I have done, because I wanted to do
it so bad I would risk anything to do it.
Chairman Lieberman. Right. So it was a feeling that it had
taken you up, if you will, and you wanted to keep going back
there?
Mr. McCarthy. Yes.
Chairman Lieberman. When you came down, did you come down
lower than normal?
Mr. McCarthy. Yeah. You feel really depressed. You would
not want to get out of bed in the morning. You really would not
eat, because you felt--like you did not feel good at all. It
was just a bad feeling, and that night you would just do it
again, just to feel normal, I guess.
Chairman Lieberman. Did you also feel physical symptoms,
besides the psychological symptoms?
Mr. McCarthy. Yeah, the same thing Dayna said. Like your
jaw hurt the next day. Your body felt all worn out. You really
did not want to do anything.
Chairman Lieberman. We are going to hear more testimony
about this in the next panel, but unfortunately there is now a
record of dramatic increases in emergency room mentions of
Ecstasy in recent years and, in fact, now there are some deaths
associated with it. Had you heard, in your own experience, of
anybody getting really sick on it and having to go to the
hospital?
Mr. McCarthy. Yes. A couple of my friends, they used to do
too much at one time because they did not feel anything,
because they used to do it a lot. After like a half-hour, they
would just start throwing up all over the place, like
violently, too. They would not just be like throwing up
normally. It was like really disgusting. Again, I do not know.
That was the only thing I really saw happen.
Chairman Lieberman. Dayna, how about you?
Ms. Moore. Not anybody that was really close to me, but I
have heard about people around where I live that had to get
rushed to the hospital, or the first time they ever tried it,
they died. Their heart stopped right then and there. In the
middle of like me doing it, I knew--I started to hear about the
damages and the effects of it, but I could not stop. I just had
to keep doing it.
Chairman Lieberman. So even though you heard these stories
and you knew there was danger physically for you, you were
unable to stop at that time?
Ms. Moore. No, and that is how I realized that I needed
help.
Chairman Lieberman. Did either of you use Ecstasy at any of
these larger gatherings, like the raves or clubs?
Mr. McCarthy. I went to clubs a couple of times, like I
went to a rave once or twice. But I usually just stayed at my
friend's house or just walked around the streets, hanging out,
just doing it.
Chairman Lieberman. How about you, Dayna?
Ms. Moore. Yeah, me, too. Once in awhile, I would go to a
club. But it was more like I would just take it on a normal,
daily basis.
Chairman Lieberman. Tell me about how you bought it. Is it
easy to buy?
Ms. Moore. Yes, it is easy to find anywhere. You can just
pick up the phone and make one phone call, and somebody could
be at your house, dropping it off.
Chairman Lieberman. Were these other kids who were selling
it?
Ms. Moore. Yes.
Chairman Lieberman. They were? People you knew or just
friends of yours told you to call somebody and they would come
and sell it to you?
Ms. Moore. Yes, it was a little bit of both. My friends
were selling it or they knew people that had it.
Chairman Lieberman. Right.
Philip, how about yourself?
Mr. McCarthy. Pretty much the same thing that she said.
Like most of my friends would usually get it, like and I would
just get it from them. Or if nobody could get it, somebody
would stop by the house that had it, and like we would all just
buy it off him, like friends and just like my friends' friends,
stuff like that.
Chairman Lieberman. Mostly around $20 a pill?
Mr. McCarthy. Yes.
Chairman Lieberman. If you were going to--and in a way you
have done this already in your excellent testimony--but if you
were going to speak to your contemporaries, to teenagers or
others, what would you say to them about Ecstasy?
Mr. McCarthy. I would have to say like they should learn
more about it before they try it, like some of the long-term
effects that happen, like you lose your relationship with your
family, you stop going to school, like what happens to you
after you come down from it. If they got more educated about
it, I think more kids would not do it.
Chairman Lieberman. How about you, Dayna?
Ms. Moore. Basically, I would just say that back then, when
I first tried it, I never thought I would be in a treatment
program because of it. I never thought it would lead me to
harder drugs. I never thought it would take away everything
that I had from me, but it does. And it may seem fun in the
beginning, but it is not. It is definitely not.
Chairman Lieberman. Would either of you give any advice to
parents?
Mr. McCarthy. I would pretty much have to say the same
thing as the kids, like they should get more educated about it,
see how your kids look on it and how they act, and like follow
up on their kids, like see who they are hanging out with, what
they are doing, make sure they are doing what they tell you
they are doing. It is like even though I would not have liked
it--like if my mom did it to me--it is just better for the
kids, though.
Chairman Lieberman. Right.
Dayna, would you give any advice to parents across the
country who might be listening to you now?
Ms. Moore. Yes. They need to really research and see the
effects of it, learn how to tell that your child is on it, be
more aware of where they are going, who they are hanging out
with, because if they just looked a little more into it, took a
little time, it is easy to see what their children are doing.
Chairman Lieberman. Yes. My time is up. I thank you very
much. You both are very impressive, and you both are good,
normal kids. And you went off the track here for a lot of
different reasons, and the great thing to say is that you are
obviously back on the track. I remember I had somebody once say
to me, which is old wisdom, that everybody in life gets knocked
down at one point or another. The question is whether you get
up. And the two of you, obviously--thanks to Phoenix House and
your parents--are getting up. So I admire you and I cannot
thank you enough for coming forward and telling your stories
today.
Senator Bunning.
Senator Bunning. Thank you.
Dayna, the first time you used Ecstasy, you were handed a
pill by one of your friends?
Ms. Moore. Yes.
Senator Bunning. You did not purchase it--just, ``Here, you
want to try something,'' and no explanation of what it did?
Ms. Moore. No, I was hearing about it for a while, just
seeing what it did, how everybody was having a good time,
everybody was laughing, everybody was just having a really good
time, and they offered it to me. They said, ``Dayna, we have
some extra pills. Do you want one?'' And I was like, ``Yeah,''
and I took one.
Senator Bunning. And you started with marijuana.
Ms. Moore. Yes.
Senator Bunning. The first kind of illegal contact with
drugs was with marijuana?
Ms. Moore. Yes.
Senator Bunning. Because we have heard marijuana is not an
addictive drug, and we have heard that most people, most young
people, start with marijuana and it leads to other, more
serious and addictive drugs. Can you tell me, Philip, how you
got involved with the law, other than after the fact? In other
words, there was no law enforcement, as far as Ecstasy is
concerned, prior to your use, and even though your friends and
a lot of other people were using it?
Mr. McCarthy. Well, when I stopped going to school--I
stopped going to school a little bit. I was not really going a
lot, and they put me on PINS. And then, after that, I started
doing Ecstasy, and that is when I got robbery charges, and they
put me on probation.
Senator Bunning. But it was only after the fact.
Mr. McCarthy. Yes.
Senator Bunning. So there is no prevention until someone
has used the drug. You did not see any police officers or any
drug undercover people, prior to your use of the drug?
Mr. McCarthy. No, I did not.
Senator Bunning. Both of you were in high school when you
first started?
Mr. McCarthy. Yes.
Senator Bunning. Dayna, were you younger?
Ms. Moore. I was in junior high.
Senator Bunning. It is sometimes mind-boggling to think how
far from your high school you were, or your junior high, you
were when you were approached. Philip, did you buy your first
portion or was it given to you?
Mr. McCarthy. The first time I did it, my friend gave it to
me, because he wanted to see if I liked it or not, and I did.
So I just kept on doing it.
Senator Bunning. Do you have any idea where those people
were getting that from? In other words, I am trying to look
past your use, to the people that supplied you the first time.
Mr. McCarthy. I just usually got it from my friends. I do
not really know who they got it from. I was not really into it
like that. I just got it from them.
Senator Bunning. And once used and once hooked, it got
progressively higher and more use?
Mr. McCarthy. Yes.
Senator Bunning. And progressively lower when you came
down?
Ms. Moore. Yes.
Senator Bunning. It is scary, it really is, to see the
trafficking coming through an international airport like
Greater Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport, and
the volume has picked up to the point where we had marijuana,
amphetamines, and now this. And we want to thank you for coming
in and telling us your story, because if we can get the story
out about the effects on people of this drug, we can help stop
it and we can help people with your help, and you have given us
that help today. And I just want to thank you for being here
and telling your story, so that the rest of the United States
and the young people can understand that the net effect is a
real downer, to the point where your friends and others could
have died if some of them did not. What we are trying to find
is a solution, how to stop it from coming here and how to
convince young people and anyone else who might use it to
discontinue use because it is so dangerous. Thank you for your
testimony.
Ms. Moore. You are welcome.
Mr. McCarthy. You are welcome.
Chairman Lieberman. Thanks very much, Senator Bunning.
Dayna, just one other question. It struck me in your
testimony--again, it is contrary to what the conventional
wisdom is here, and Senator Bunning's question about marijuana
reminded me of it--Ecstasy actually led you to harder drugs,
didn't it?
Ms. Moore. Yes.
Chairman Lieberman. What was going on there? In other
words, Ecstasy, when you were addicted, became not enough?
Ms. Moore. Yes, and I was trying--I wanted a drug that
could have that high, but I did not like the side effects from
it afterward, feeling sick.
Chairman Lieberman. From the Ecstasy?
Ms. Moore. From the Ecstasy, yes. So sometimes when I came
down from the Ecstasy, I do other drugs to try to numb those
feelings, the side effects from it, and I was always trying to
find something bigger and better, but nothing compared.
Chairman Lieberman. Again, Senator Bunning and I really
thank you for coming in. You know, you have beaten back
something, and in all of life's struggles that we all have, we
can identify with it. We can identify with your parents, and I
just wish you well and think you are on the road to both being
the winners that you were just a short while ago. So God bless
you and thanks for coming in. I wish you the best.
We are now going to call the second panel: Donald R.
Vereen, the Deputy Director of the Office of National Drug
Control Policy; Dr. Alan Leshner, Director of the National
Institute on Drug Abuse; John Varrone, who is the Assistant
Commissioner of the U.S. Customs Service; Joseph Keefe, Chief
of Operations, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; John M.
Bailey, Chief State's Attorney, State of Connecticut; and Roy
Rutland, Detective, Miami-Dade Police Department. Thank you all
for being here.
Dr. Vereen, let's begin with you--Deputy Director of the
Office of National Drug Control Policy, Executive Office of the
President. Thank you for your testimony. Let me say before you
begin, Doctor, that we are going to enter into the record the
prepared testimony, the very fine prepared testimony that all
of you have given, so proceed.
TESTIMONY OF DONALD R. VEREEN, JR.,\1\ M.D., M.P.H., DEPUTY
DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY, EXECUTIVE
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
Dr. Vereen. Thanks. Good morning, Chairman Lieberman,
Senator Bunning, other distinguished Members of the Committee.
I would like to thank you for this opportunity to testify today
about one of the most problematic drugs that has emerged in
recent years. I would also like to recognize some of our key
partners in our integrated approach to this problematic drug:
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Customs Service,
and the State and local law enforcement groups that heroically
pursue the increasing number of cases brought to their
attention. I also want to thank our collaborators in the
Department of Health and Human Services, particularly the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and
the National Institute on Drug Abuse, under the leadership of
Dr. Alan Leshner, one of the world's leading authorities on
drug abuse. Most especially, a thank you to Dayna and Philip,
who testified here just a few minutes ago. They are the most
vulnerable to the grave dangers of MDMA and they are very
courageous. They represent the primary data that most of us
prefer to have when we are trying to deal with the drug issue.
I commend them for what they represent for themselves, their
peers and their community. And, as you mentioned earlier, I do
have a longer prepared statement, which I would ask to be
submitted to the record at this time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The prepared statement of Dr. Vereen with an attachment appears
in the Appendix on page 45.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MDMA is one of the most problematic drugs that has emerged
in recent years. Public health and other research data from our
Nation's community schools and hospitals indicate increased
availability and increased use of MDMA among young adults,
despite the fact that the substance has dangerous effects on
the users. The misnomer, Ecstasy, which implies a benign
substance, is one of the most harmful aspects of this
particular epidemic. MDMA has the fastest accelerating illicit
drug trend trajectory in the past few years. What is also
disturbing is its negative health effects are not appreciated
by the user. MDMA is a public health problem that is behaving
like an epidemic. Taking cues from past epidemics, including
drug epidemics, many researchers view a four-phase cycle. There
is an incubation period, an expansion period, a plateau period,
and a decline.
MDMA is now in the expansion phase. I refer you to the
chart,\1\ ``Monitoring the Future Data of MDMA Use Among 10th
and 12th Graders,'' and you can see the expansion in use, from
a relatively flat, low level, to one that is expanding. No
single solution can effectively address any multifaceted drug
problem. The Office of National Drug Control Policy, as a part
of its national drug control strategy, insists on a
comprehensive response to all emerging drug epidemics, MDMA in
particular. ONDCP is uniquely positioned to integrate public
health, public safety and public policy perspectives in the
face of the spread of a synthetic drug, such as MDMA, and ONDCP
bases sound drug policy on scientific research, consistent with
the goals of that strategy.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Chart referred to appears in the Appendix on page 52.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
From a public health perspective, demand reduction efforts
inform--the public about the dangers of MDMA use. Second, the
demand reduction efforts assemble epidemiological data. And,
third, demand reduction efforts support the collaboration of
our Federal partners to improve drug testing and screening
methods for MDMA. From a public safety perspective, supply
reduction and law enforcement efforts continue to, one,
emphasize precursor chemical control and, two, identify and
prosecute drug-trafficking organizations.
Investigations are ongoing to identify vulnerable areas in
the production and distribution network, including the
production labs, organized crime, and methods for
transshipment. From a public policy perspective, ONDCP has led
coordinating roles among 50-plus Federal agencies that have
illicit drug use as part of their mandate. The following steps
to address MDMA problems are in place and are ongoing. The
first is ONDCP has convened a Federal interagency demand
reduction working group subcommittee to address MDMA
specifically. This group consists of representatives from
several agencies. Through the information gathering and
exchange that has occurred during the meetings, the
subcommittee has identified the need for a screening tool and
the development of cost-effective testing systems, which are
under development.
Second, in August 2000, the National Youth Anti-Drug Media
Campaign launched a nationwide radio and Internet, as well as
television, initiative focused specifically on MDMA. The
initiative is designed to educate young people and their
parents about the drug's dangers and change the widespread
misperceptions that it is harmless. There is a video that we
have that gives an example of one of the ads that was developed
specifically for this initiative. I draw your attention to this
print poster, that has been reproduced in various vehicles, to
get information out to young people and their parents. Here is
an example of one of the ads that was developed in this
campaign.
[A videotape was shown in the hearing room.]
Chairman Lieberman. How widely are these playing now? Do
you know?
Dr. Vereen. They are all over the country. We develop
different parts of the campaign to hit young people and their
parents in waves. So we have got one wave out, and what we have
in production--I misspoke; I am a little bit ahead of myself--
are in new wave of--I do not want to call them exactly ads, but
information out to parents and young people.
Chairman Lieberman. Good.
Dr. Vereen. Third, ONDCP's High-Intensity Drug-Trafficking
Area program, known as HIDTA, is a strategy-driven drug
enforcement effort. The HIDTA program facilitates coordination
and leveraging of resources of over 900 local, 172 State, 35
Federal law enforcement agency resources, including 86 other
participating organizations. Each of the HIDTAs is conducting a
threat assessment of MDMA that will be included in their future
work.
Fourth, in partnership with the National Guard Bureau, the
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Community Anti-Drug
Coalitions of America, CADCA, and the National Institute on
Drug Abuse, ONDCP is participating in a four-part series of
satellite broadcasts on specific drugs of abuse. A 90-minute
broadcast on MDMA was held on May 24 of this year that set a
record for attendance size and reached over 800 sites in 50
States and five in the District of Columbia and one in Canada.
Last, in March of this year, Ecstasy was the featured
special topic in the latest edition of Pulse Check, which is an
on-the-ground instrument that ONDCP uses to detect new and
emerging drug trends. I commend the Committee on its effort to
protect the American people from this dangerous drug, and thank
you for this opportunity to speak about the facts and how they
have been applied in overall U.S. Government policy.
Chairman Lieberman. Thanks, Doctor. Just very briefly, did
you say at the outset that Ecstasy use is the fastest-growing,
that is percentage-wise, of any drug in the country now?
Dr. Vereen. Well, the perceived availability of the drug,
that is the young people who are taking it perceive that it is
so available, that is the indicator that we are using that says
it is growing at a very fast rate. And, as you can appreciate,
when we gather this data, there is always a lag time, and
almost always the numbers are an underestimate of what is
actually going on out there.
Chairman Lieberman. Thank you. Next is Dr. Alan Leshner, an
authority in this area, Director of the National Institute on
Drug Abuse. Thanks for being here.
TESTIMONY OF ALAN I. LESHNER,\1\ Ph.D., DIRECTOR, NATIONAL
INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
Dr. Leshner. Thank you, Senator. I am delighted to be here.
I am also delighted to have this opportunity to talk with you
about what science has been teaching us about 3,4
methylenedioxymethamphetamine--known popularly as MDMA, or
Ecstasy. In fact, a little bit over a week ago, my institute
held a major 2-day scientific conference on Ecstasy, where we
brought to the NIH leading researchers from all over the world.
Having sat through the 2-day conference, I can provide you
today with the scientific community's very latest thinking
about this drug.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The prepared statement of Dr. Leshner with an attachment
appears in the Appendix on page 53.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not surprisingly, one overarching theme is MDMA is far from
being the harmless fun drug you hear about from many young
people and in the popular press. The fact is that we have known
for over a decade from animal studies that Ecstasy can be
extremely dangerous, even when used only once, and repeated use
over time damages critical brain cells in ways that can have
long-lasting effects on behavior. Importantly, over the last 5
years, virtually every major finding from those animal studies
has been confirmed in humans.
As you know, MDMA is a synthetic drug that is typically
sold in capsule or tablet form, and we have heard quite a bit
about that today. Ecstasy has both stimulant and hallucinogenic
properties. Although it does not cause full-blown
hallucinations like LSD, users do report distorted time and
perception while under its influence. As an extremely powerful
stimulant, MDMA can increase heart rate and blood pressure and
it can disable the body's ability to regulate its own
temperature. When it is used in club or dance settings, it can
lead to very severe rises in body temperature, what we call
hyperthermia; it can lead to dehydration, hypertension, and
even heart, or kidney failure in particularly susceptible
people.
Like other stimulants, Ecstasy also appears to have the
ability to cause addiction. The brain mechanisms by which
Ecstasy works are actually critical to understanding its short-
and long-term effects. Ecstasy increases the activity levels of
at least three major brain chemical systems, the
neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. It is
what Ecstasy does to serotonin levels that concerns us the most
right now. Serotonin normally plays a critical role in everyday
functioning. It is significantly involved in the regulation of
mood, memory, sleep, pain, emotion and appetite. When people
take Ecstasy, the drug increases the release of serotonin,
thereby producing its mood effects, but it also interferes with
the buildup of new serotonin pools, so that over time Ecstasy
use causes the brain to actually become significantly depleted
of serotonin, and then it can take the brain weeks to rebuild
its serotonin levels to normal.
Recent studies are showing that it is not just those people
who use Ecstasy chronically or repeatedly that are affected.
Again, from animal models, we have known for awhile that even
one dose of MDMA can decrease serotonin levels for up to 2
weeks. We now know this to be true in humans, as well, and I
have brought you one example over here, which is a series of
PET scans. On your left is an MRI scan, and then the middle
scan shows you the brain of a former Ecstasy user who has been
abstinent for awhile, and these are occasional users, not heavy
users. It is important that this is relatively small amounts of
Ecstasy use. You then see the response of the brain, to the
right, of tremendously reduced overall brain activity, and I
can explain that in detail to you later, if you would like.
But it is showing you, in effect, from a single dosing of
Ecstasy, 2 weeks after the individual last used Ecstasy. So
what you are seeing is a brain change in a relatively moderate
Ecstasy user, what would be called an occasional user, from a
single-dosing regimen that is lasting 2 weeks after the
individual stopped using----
Chairman Lieberman. Doctor, would you say that would be
typical, or might that person have had some special
vulnerability?
Dr. Leshner. Actually, this is the 2-week version. There is
also a 10-week version that I did not bring you. It is not
quite as dramatic. It is not dependent upon the particular
vulnerability. It is a mechanism by which Ecstasy produces both
its short-term and its long-term effects.
Chairman Lieberman. Right.
Dr. Leshner. Again, the areas that you see affected are
obviously critically involved in all of those behaviors that I
mentioned to you. Despite our best efforts at sharing what we
know about these drugs, all indicators suggests that MDMA is
gaining popularity among students and young adults who continue
to use Ecstasy in increasingly higher doses, and actually, now,
outside the more traditional nightclub array of settings. The
fact that one in nine high school seniors and over 150,000
eighth graders, that is, 13- and 14-year-olds, have tried
Ecstasy in their lifetime is truly a national public health
crisis.
The one encouraging point in this grim scenario is the
amazing ability of the brain to compensate and adapt to life
stressors. Emerging research on other drugs, like meth-
amphetamine, a drug structurally similar to MDMA, is showing
that there are signs that if one stops using it, the brain can
recover over time. To summarize, the scientific evidence is
clear. Ecstasy is not a benign drug. It is an extremely
dangerous substance, both in the short- and in the long-term.
As a scientist, and as a public health official, I believe it
is tremendously important that we get this science-based
message out to the public. We do not need any more people,
particularly our young people, our greatest resource,
experimenting on their own brains with this extremely dangerous
drug.
Thank you, sir.
Chairman Lieberman. Thank you, doctor, for that compelling
and chilling testimony.
John C. Varrone is the Assistant Commissioner, Office of
Investigations, U.S. Customs Service. I appreciate your
willingness to come by. I gather Mr. Winwood had some
difficulty making it here today, but we are delighted to have
you here and look forward to your testimony now.
TESTIMONY OF JOHN C. VARRONE,\1\ ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF
CUSTOMS, OFFICE OF INVESTIGATIONS, U.S. CUSTOMS SERVICE
Mr. Varrone. Thank you. Chairman Lieberman, Senator
Bunning, thank you very much for the opportunity to appear
before you today on behalf of the U.S. Customs Service and our
efforts to enforce the smuggling of Ecstasy. The U.S. Customs
Service has vigorously increased their efforts against MDMA,
otherwise known as Ecstasy, entering into the United States
since the drug first began appearing at our borders in
substantial quantities in the late 1990's. Almost negligible 5
years ago, Customs seizures of MDMA has since skyrocketed.
Total quantities of MDMA seized by the Customs Service have
jumped from approximately 400,000 tablets in 1997 to 3\1/2\
million tablets in 1999, to well over 9 million tablets in
fiscal year 2000. With 3 months remaining in our current fiscal
year, we have seized approximately 6 million tablets.
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\1\ The prepared statement of Mr. Varrone with an attachment
appears in the Appendix on page 63.
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As you know MDMA is extremely profitable to drug
traffickers. Clearly, that is one of the reasons why we are
seeing so much more of it. A pill that costs pennies to make in
Europe can retail from anywhere from $25 to $50 here in the
United States. To give you an example, this bag of Ecstasy
which I am holding, was part of a seizure that Customs
inspectors made at Dulles International Airport. This bag is
approximately five pounds and it is valued at $140,000.
Chairman Lieberman. How was it brought in? Do you know?
Mr. Varrone. It was smuggled in luggage by two individuals,
sir.
It would be logical to assume that with more MDMA coming
into the country, overall seizures would rise, but that simple
explanation does not do justice to the combined efforts of law
enforcement to disrupt the MDMA trade. Many of our largest
seizures of MDMA to date have been the result of better
targeting and shared intelligence between Customs, the Drug
Enforcement Administration, the FBI, State and local
authorities. In my long statement, I elaborate on some of the
key enforcement measures Customs has put into place to
complement this exemplary interagency cooperation.
These include the creation of a special Customs Ecstasy
Task Force here in Washington, DC; the training and deployment
of 260 canine enforcement teams for detection purposes; and,
the involvement of the Customs Cyber-Smuggling Center in the
investigation of websites marketing MDMA and other club drugs.
The enhancement of our communications with law enforcement in
Europe and Israel, in conjunction with DEA, has also
contributed to some of these successes.
The majority of MDMA seized by Customs arrives by
commercial air. In addition to focusing on the traditional
source countries for narcotics, we are playing close attention
to former non-source countries, especially flights from known
MDMA hubs, such as Amsterdam, Paris, and Frankfurt. Yet, when
pressured on one route, the traffickers is quickly turning to
others. The Dominican Republic, Curacao, and Surinam all
emerged last year as popular MDMA transshipment points. We are
also seeing increased activity from Canada, and this year we
have almost doubled our amount of seizures from Spain.
Several recent MDMA seizures along our southwest land
border suggest that smugglers may be probing other flanks. It
may only be a matter of time before the powerful drug cartels
and the trafficking groups operating to our south stake their
claim in the lucrative MDMA trade, as well. We are also very
concerned with the increasing signs of domestic production.
Customs has made several seizures of key precursor chemicals
used in the manufacture of MDMA. One of those seizures, which
occurred at our international mail facility in Oakland,
California, led to the discovery and closure of a fully-
equipped MDMA laboratory outside Los Angeles.
From a detection standpoint, MDMA's compact size and shape
make concealment options almost infinite. Customs has seized
MDMA in packages and shipments of all shapes and sizes, from
suitcases to cargo containers to aircraft engines to baby
formula to stuffed animals. A great deal of MDMA is smuggled by
couriers who conceal it somewhere on their body. Of late, we
have noted a rising trend in the use of spandex bicycle shorts
worn under clothing by smugglers. These shorts are altered to
contain extra pockets, which can hold hundreds of pills. We
have also encountered an increasing number of MDMA swallowers,
who ingest the drug in small packages or balloons in order to
evade Customs. We are shoring up our defenses against MDMA
because we simply do not see this trend declining any time
soon. Clearly, what was once ad hoc smuggling by small-time
dealers and users has mushroomed into organized trafficking by
criminals. They now have the money and the infrastructure to
market MDMA well beyond the club scenes in New York, Miami, and
Los Angeles. The motive of the club owners who help the
traffickers push MDMA is obvious. They are in it for the money.
So it is not surprising that we have seen them come under the
spell of organized crime.
But the traffickers are also aided by another, more
unlikely source. These include social scientists and others in
the so-called harm reduction movement, who claim that the real
damage is caused, not by MDMA and its pushers, but by the laws
designed to curtail them. This line of argument has given rise
to the myth that American law enforcement is out to criminalize
the experimental behavior of a whole generation of young
Americans. To the contrary, our responsibility is to enforce
the drug laws of this country and arrest and prosecute those
who, without hesitation, routinely exploit our children and
place them at serious risk.
Certainly the efforts of this Committee to raise awareness
of the MDMA threat will help to drive this message home.
Education and outreach to parents and children are also vital,
as Customs, the DEA, and others are doing via information
posted on our website. Customs uses this type of outreach as a
critical aspect of our enforcement mission, and we are
examining ways to expand our regular contacts with schools,
community groups and others to include a greater focus on MDMA
use and trends. The fact remains that no matter how successful
our enforcement efforts, our best defense is less demand.
Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Chairman. I will be
happy to answer any questions at the conclusion.
Chairman Lieberman. Thanks, Mr. Varrone, for that excellent
testimony. One quick question, though. You mentioned the
current diversification of the points of origin of the flights
or shipments coming in. Am I correct that the major
manufacturing locations are still in the Netherlands and
Belgium?
Mr. Varrone. Yes, sir.
Chairman Lieberman. Mr. Keefe from DEA, Chief of
Operations, thank you for being here. I look forward to your
testimony now.
TESTIMONY OF JOSEPH D. KEEFE,\1\ CHIEF OF OPERATIONS, DRUG
ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Mr. Keefe. Thank you, sir. Chairman Lieberman and Senator
Bunning, I am pleased to have the opportunity to appear before
you today for the purpose of discussing the outstanding
coordination between Federal, State and local law enforcement
in combating MDMA, the dangerous club drug deceptively referred
to as Ecstasy. As always, I would first like to preface my
remarks by thanking the Committee for its unwavering support of
the Drug Enforcement Administration and overall support of drug
law enforcement.
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\1\ The prepared statement of Mr. Keefe appears in the Appendix on
page 70.
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MDMA is manufactured clandestinely in Western Europe,
primarily the Netherlands and Belgium, which produce the vast
majority of the MDMA consumed worldwide. A typical clandestine
laboratory is capable of producing 20 to 30 kilograms of MDMA
per day, with one kilogram of MDMA consisting of approximate
4,000 tablets. Dutch police reported the seizure of one
laboratory capable of producing approximately 100 kilograms of
MDMA per day. Most often, MDMA consumed in the United States is
manufactured by Dutch chemists and transported or distributed
by various factions of Israeli and Russian organized crime
groups. These groups recruit and utilize American, Israeli, and
Western European nationals as couriers.
In addition to the use of couriers, these organizations
exploit the mail, private carriers, and airline freight to
facilitate delivery of their merchandise. The drug trafficking
organizations involved in MDMA distribution are brought
together by the enormous profit realized in these ventures,
which has led to the professionalization of MDMA trafficking.
Once the MDMA reaches the United States, a domestic sale
distributor will charge $6 to $8 per tablet. The MDMA retailer
will, in turn, distribute the MDMA for $25 to $45 per tablet.
MDMA traffickers utilized all major airports in Europe as
transshipment points for MDMA destined for the United States.
Los Angeles, New York and Miami are currently the major gateway
cities for the influx of MDMA from abroad. These three cities
reflect the greatest number of arrests and seizures of MDMA
within our borders.
The largest MDMA seizure in the United States occurred in
Los Angeles, California, where DEA and U.S. Customs seized over
2.1 million tablets of the drug. Currently, Israeli and Russian
MDMA trafficking organizations dominate the MDMA trade in the
United States. As Ecstasy proves more profitable and as law
enforcement pressures force the traffickers to regroup, the
U.S. MDMA trade will become increasingly diverse, incorporating
drug trafficking organizations based in the Caribbean and Asia.
Dominican violators, in particular, have exploited their well-
organized trafficking infrastructure in the Caribbean to
capitalize on links to MDMA sources in the Netherlands.
DEA has completed a number of significant investigations
that have dismantled global MDMA trafficking organizations, as
well as limited the effectiveness of rave parties as a venue
for distributing MDMA. None of these successful cases could
have been brought to fruition without a consistent line of open
communication between Federal, State and local law enforcement
agencies. Through a multitude of task forces, and joint
investigative ventures, DEA seeks to maximize the impact of its
enforcement initiatives in communities throughout the United
States. DEA's joint investigations have incorporated innovative
strategies, such as the Federal Crack House Statute and
utilization of municipal health codes and nuisance abatement
ordinances to neutralize rave events that facilitate the
trafficking of MDMA.
The May 18, 2001 arrest of well-documented Israeli MDMA
violator Odet Tuito is an excellent example of interagency and
international cooperation. Through the coordination of DEA's
Special Operation Division, police authorities in Barcelona,
Spain arrested Odet Tuito pursuant to a provisional arrest
warrant. As a result of this cooperation, Tuito, who was
perhaps the premier Israeli MDMA trafficker operating between
Europe and the United States, will face charges pending in New
York and Pennsylvania. Last year, to focus national attention
on the MDMA threat, DEA hosted the International Conference on
Ecstasy and Club Drugs in partnership with approximately 300
officials from domestic and foreign law enforcement, judicial,
chemical, prevention, and treatment communities. As a follow-up
to last year's conference, DEA is in the process of
implementing a series of regional club drug conferences, which
will serve the purpose of taking DEA's demand reduction message
out to a variety of selected communities.
A regional conference was recently held in Atlantic City,
and future regional conferences are scheduled to be held in
Chicago and San Diego. In closing, I would like to reiterate
that DEA's investigative strategy makes maximum use of the
tremendous assets and experience offered by our Federal, State,
local and foreign police counterparts. These efforts, when
combined with DEA's training and club drug conferences, provide
the foundation for an integrated community-based approach that
serves to aggressively confront the threat posed by MDMA-
trafficking organizations.
I thank you for providing me the opportunity to address the
Committee and I look forward to taking any questions you may
have on this important issue.
Chairman Lieberman. Thanks very much, Mr. Keefe, and now we
move to the State and local level, I am proud to say, with my
own Chief State's Attorney and longtime friend, former co-
worker, John M. Bailey, who has overseen a very aggressive and,
I would say, creative response to the threat of Ecstasy in the
State of Connecticut. I am proud to welcome him.
TESTIMONY OF JOHN M. BAILEY,\1\ CHIEF STATE'S ATTORNEY, STATE
OF CONNECTICUT
Mr. Bailey. Good morning, Senator Lieberman and Senator
Bunning. For the record, I am John M. Bailey, the Chief State's
Attorney for the State of Connecticut. To explain my
responsibilities, I am the chief law enforcement officer of the
State of Connecticut and the administrative head of the
Division of Criminal Justice, which is responsible for the
investigation and prosecution of all criminal matters in the
State of Connecticut. I sincerely thank the Committee for the
opportunity to appear before you to discuss the drug Ecstasy
and how we in Connecticut have utilized our nuisance abatement
program to correct one serious problem area involving Ecstasy.
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\1\ The prepared statement of Mr. Bailey appears in the Appendix on
page 81.
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I am sure the Committee Members are aware of the growing
problem that we in law enforcement and in our society in
general are facing with the drug Ecstasy and so-called designer
drugs or club drugs. Let me quote from USA Today of July 20 of
this year. ``The trade in the use of Ecstasy has mushroomed
since 1995. In that year, Federal agencies confiscated a few
hundred thousand pills. Last year, Federal agencies confiscated
more than 11 million pills coming into the country.'' I should
add those 11 million represent, I think, less than eight
percent coming into the United States.
On July 19 of this year, the New York Times reported on the
seizure of one million Ecstasy tablets from one studio
apartment in New York City. At the price of $20 to $40 for each
tablet, this seizure alone took $30 million worth of Ecstasy
off the streets and out of the rave clubs. Similar seizures are
being reported elsewhere and they are not limited to big cities
such as New York--and the drug Ecstasy. On July 20 of this
year, the Wichita Eagle newspaper in Kansas carried a report on
the seizure of 21,000 vials of the narcotic catamine, or what
is known in the drug trade as Special K. This was the biggest
seizure ever of Special K in the country, and that was in
Wichita, Kansas.
The problem is not limited to one drug and certainly not to
one city or part of the country. It makes no difference whether
we are talking about our American cities or the American
heartland. When the drug traffickers go looking for a market,
they will sell wherever and to whomever will buy. In
Connecticut, for example, we have found that Ecstasy is more
popular among suburban users than other drugs such as heroin or
cocaine. But more importantly, our statewide narcotics task
force, who you met with, Senator, they are warning us that the
designer drugs and Ecstasy could replace marijuana as the drug
of choice among young people. And these are the economics of
the drug trade: Introduce new drugs; and create a new market.
Remember, although this is an illicit business, it is a
business, and a business that is generating billions of dollars
each year in income. The drug traffickers know what they are
doing, which is why it is so absolutely critical that we in law
enforcement know what we are doing.
Just as they work to develop new markets and push new
poisons, we must develop new ways and new initiatives to stop
the dealing in death. One of the ways that we were successful
in Connecticut is our nuisance abatement program. I would like
to use the remaining part of my time to explain this program
and how it is used to correct a problem that deals precisely
with Ecstasy trafficking. We in Connecticut are very proud of
our nuisance abatement program. It is one of the most exciting
and innovative initiatives that we have undertaken in recent
years. The program joins together legal forces of civil action
and criminal prosecution to deal with nuisance properties.
I have submitted detailed written material to the Committee
explaining specifically how the program works. Simply put, when
we can show a pattern of criminal activities through actual
arrest or issuance of arrest warrants, we can take a civil
action to clean up the problem. The Ecstasy problem in Hartford
is an excellent case in point as to how this law can be
utilized. A traditional narcotics investigation was undertaken.
We identified three rave clubs in Hartford were Ecstasy
trafficking was taking place. It should be noted that people
from New York, Providence, and Boston came to Hartford to go to
these clubs. And I should also note that one young man going
back to Boston died 6 hours later, leaving the club.
One of these clubs was a traditional liquor establishment,
but the other two were after-hours clubs, catering to
individuals as young as 14-year-olds. The clubs opened up at 10
o'clock at night and closed at 7 in the morning. We proceeded
with a criminal investigation and arrest, and, at the same
time, with the civil action allowed under the Nuisance
Abatement Act, we obtained court orders shutting down all three
clubs. The clubs remained closed while the owners worked with
us to put in place strict controls to stop the drug dealings.
I would just briefly mention the conditions which we placed
on the clubs to reopen: One, no employee could have a criminal
record in anything to do with drugs; two, uniformed police
officers had to be on the premises when these clubs opened. No
one under 18 could go into the club, and we also changed the
hours of the clubs. We did pat-downs when people went into the
clubs to make sure they did not have any drugs on them. We put
four video recorders, showing the entire square footage of the
clubs, and we could inspect those clubs at any time and look at
the video, and we prohibited the sale of surgical masks, Vicks
inhalers, pacifiers, or any drug paraphernalia. And, finally,
we could go in there without a search warrant and inspect the
club at any time.
The clubs have since reopened and we are continuing ongoing
monitoring to ensure compliance. Nuisance abatement differs
from traditional activities in that the goal is not to
permanently close a business or property, but to clean up that
property. We work with the property owners or the business
operators to make that property a productive part of the
community, and we do so with a clear understanding that if the
problem returns, so will we, armed with the full authority of
civil and criminal prosecution. The nuisance abatement program
has shown its value in a relatively short period of time in
Connecticut, and we believe the program holds a tremendous
promise for the future. We also believe this is a model, not
only for the communities in Connecticut, but for jurisdictions
throughout this country that may not even know of its
existence.
Coming down here this morning, I picked up--and, Senator
Lieberman, you are familiar with The Advocate.
Chairman Lieberman. Yes, I am; for the record, it is a
Connecticut newspaper.
Mr. Bailey. And we picked it up at the airport. It states,
``Raves On and Off: Hartford Rave Scene Has Not Recovered from
John Bailey's Drug Crackdown.'' Right now, they are about to go
out of business.
Thank you, Senator.
Chairman Lieberman. Thank you. Thanks for what you are
doing and thanks for presenting an excellent model, which may
be adapted in other jurisdictions around the country.
Finally, we have Detective Roy Rutland, who is with the
Miami-Dade Police Department. As I indicated earlier, Mr.
Rutland is behind a screen at his request, because many of the
people with whom he works are unaware of his true identity. We
are pleased to have him here and pleased to give him this
opportunity to testify. Go right ahead now, Detective Rutland.
TESTIMONY OF ROY RUTLAND,\1\ DETECTIVE, NARCOTICS BUREAU,
MIAMI-DADE POLICE DEPARTMENT
Mr. Rutland. Mr. Chairman, it is an honor to be here before
you and the distinguished Members of the Committee. I would
also like to thank your staff, members of the ONDCP, and the
Governmental Affairs staff for their exceptional support prior
to this meeting. I am employed by the Miami-Dade Police
Department. The Miami-Dade Police Department Narcotics Bureau
is responsible for investigating any narcotics-related offenses
occurring in the unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade County,
Florida. My responsibility as an undercover narcotics detective
is twofold: First, my job is to effectively target and
infiltrate organizations responsible for the manufacture and
distribution of any illegal narcotics. The goal is to disrupt
and eliminate these organizations at their core foundation,
including source nations. Second, my job is to testify in the
judicial process and pursue the proper judicial measures
necessary for the prosecution and incarceration of these
narcotics and organized criminal offenders.
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\1\ The prepared statement of Mr. Rutland appears in the Appendix
on page 84.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Chairman, during the mid-1990's, south Florida first
began to experience what many in law enforcement and in the
health community now consider to be a global epidemic. The
introduction or reappearance of this deadly drug, MDMA, has
surfaced in all types of venues. The arrival of MDMA comes as
no surprise to those of us who are investigators and who have
targeted and investigated other deadly narcotics that have
entered south Florida and the United States. The surprise,
however, comes in dealing with the volume of this drug being
smuggled into the country and the unfortunate global popularity
associated with the drug.
I first began investigating MDMA when I infiltrated the
subculture that frequented venues, which are now commonly
referred to as rave parties. A vast majority of these parties
consistently disguised and continue to disguise their
appearance for the sole purpose of profit through club-drug
distribution, primarily MDMA. I know, because I was there. The
effective marketing techniques and astronomical profit margins
I have witnessed contrasts with any other drug being
distributed today. Make no mistake about it, the unfortunate
popularity of MDMA has caused this deadly drug to move from the
rave scene to mainstream America. This is evident in multiple
cases that I have investigated in south Florida, nationally and
internationally.
The disturbing reality of MDMA was clear in the year 2000,
when Miami-Dade County experienced the first apprehension of a
drug mule who had swallowed multiple pellets containing more
than 1,000 MDMA tablets and attempted to enter Miami-Dade
County from the Netherlands, via Miami-Dade International
Airport. To date, the Miami-Dade Police Department, along with
the U.S. Customs Service, has apprehended two additional drug
mules attempting to enter the United States from various source
nations. Each of these mules had swallowed more than 2,000 MDMA
tablets each.
It is important to note, however, that these numbers pale
in comparison to the multiple drug mules that we have
apprehended in south Florida who have used alternate body-
packing techniques. Since the explosion of this epidemic in
south Florida, my focus has been on investigating MDMA cases,
including educating law enforcement nationally and
internationally. During the infant stages of the epidemic, I
was primarily negotiating and dealing with younger
narcotraffickers with little experience in the narcotics trade.
During the last year, I have seen a rapid transformation in
power.
As many of us in law enforcement anticipated, the
traditional narcotraffickers and their source nations have
assumed much of the network control over MDMA, thus causing
multiple power struggles with organizations and new source
nations. As a result of these power struggles, along with the
astronomical profit margins, we on the front lines are
experiencing the associated violence. Through aggressive
investigations and successful infiltrations, I, along with many
other undercover narcotics detectives, have successfully
disrupted and eliminated multiple MDMA organizations
responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of MDMA.
None of this would be possible without a global cooperative
effort in law enforcement.
I am pleased to say that we are coordinating and working
effectively with other local law enforcement, along with law
enforcement at the State and Federal levels, to combat this
epidemic. Case in point: Early in July, members of the Miami-
Dade Police Department's Narcotics Bureau initiated an
investigation involving several foreign nationals involved in
large-scale MDMA distribution from Miami-Dade County to New
York City. As a result of a successful cooperative effort
between two separate local law enforcement agencies, the
investigation that was initiated by the Miami-Dade Police
Department's Narcotics Bureau concluded in Manhattan, by the
New York Police Department Queens Narcotics Unit. The
investigation yielded the seizure of 450 pounds of MDMA, or
approximately 1.6 million MDMA tablets, $187,000 in U.S.
currency, and the apprehension of two foreign nationals
responsible for the distribution of 100,000 MDMA tablets every
2 weeks for the last 5 years in the United States.
In closing, undercover narcotics detectives on the front
lines will continue to aggressively combat this global
epidemic. With continued support from the government and
effective legislation, such as the Federal crack house law, I
am confident we will have a direct and substantial impact on
MDMA. Thank you.
Chairman Lieberman. Thanks very much, Detective Rutland,
for your testimony and, of course, for what you are doing every
day that you go to work. Let me begin with a little bit of
history, and maybe, Dr. Leshner, you are the best one to ask.
Ecstasy just did not appear out of nowhere 4 or 5 years ago.
Give us a little bit of history about MDMA. Am I correct that
it was officially declared a controlled substance in 1985?
Dr. Leshner. I believe that is right. It originally was
thought to be a benign substance. There are people who have
claimed all kinds of psychotherapeutic potential uses of it
over the years. It is important to note that there has never
been a controlled clinical trial demonstrating the usefulness
of MDMA for any clinical purpose at all, and I think that it is
important to correct the common misconception out there.
Chairman Lieberman. Do you have any idea when it first
appeared in the U.S.?
Dr. Leshner. I do not recall the exact details.
Chairman Lieberman. Do any of the witnesses?
Dr. Vereen. Perhaps as early as the turn-of-the-century it
was created, but its therapeutic use in psychotherapy was in
the 1970's and 1980's.
Chairman Lieberman. In the 1970's and 1980's, its use was
allegedly for therapeutic reasons, not for recreational uses?
Dr. Vereen. That is correct.
Chairman Lieberman. But, as you said, Dr. Leshner, there is
no documented research here that proves its therapeutic value?
Dr. Leshner. That is correct. There has never been a
controlled clinical trial. And in contrast to what you hear
publicly, we at NIH have never received a proposal to study it
for any clinical indications, which I think is an interesting
commentary on the biomedical communities belief about this
substance.
Chairman Lieberman. So let me ask the whole panel or
anybody who wants to answer, how does a drug like this, which
remains at relatively low usage in the country, suddenly become
an epidemic? This took place in 4 or 5 years. Was a decision
made somewhere by drug cartels or others to begin to try to
develop a market, Mr. Keefe?
Mr. Keefe. If I could, sir. It has always been very popular
in Western Europe. As we know now, most of the clandestine labs
are located there and they have been for some time.
Chairman Lieberman. So the recreational use has been common
in Western Europe for some period of time?
Mr. Keefe. Yes, sir. The rave parties sort of brought it
through to the United States with the tech music, and that is
where we see the venue now for MDMA. But I think what has also
happened is the children and the young people that spoke here
earlier thought that there was no problem with it, until the
doctor pointed out, that was not harmful. So we see these young
people and the harm-reduction, as Mr. Varrone said, advocates
saying there is no problem with this drug--became
professionalized by the organized crime members we referred to
who saw this and were able to make money. People were willing
to spend money for it and to use it because they felt there was
no harm. We had the rave clubs bringing it and then it started
getting into the neighborhoods and it continues, sir.
Chairman Lieberman. Yes. I noted that the two young people
who were with us at the outset--both said they did not start at
a rave or at a club, but with usage with friends or in homes.
So that suggests it is out on the street now.
Mr. Keefe. I think it was always available coming into the
streets. I think the rave clubs and the music are the venues to
do it, not that it was always used in the rave clubs. As Mr.
Bailey mentioned and as you see from our cases, we do not see
large quantities of the drug appearing at the rave clubs. They
have often taken it before they get there or they will take
some drugs there or hide it.
Chairman Lieberman. Yes, Mr. Bailey?
Mr. Bailey. Senator, we had 125 high school students in,
and we did not talk to them, they talked to us, which we
learned a great deal, and one of the things which Mr. Keefe
just brought up, they did not understand there was a problem
with Ecstasy. They took it for granted that you take one pill,
it will not hurt you and there will be no effect. Your
parents--you do not have a smell--you do not have marijuana and
your eyes are not dilated. And that was one of the reasons why
the young people began taking it, because no one would know
they were taking it, until we saw the young people here today.
Chairman Lieberman. Absolutely.
Dr. Vereen. Sir, I would like to add that there is a
general pattern there where drugs get introduced into cultures
or societies. In the case of Ecstasy, it was the raves and the
source in Europe injecting the issue into the United States,
taking advantage of ignorance on the part of young people, peer
pressure, and this desire to explore or to fulfill their
curiosity. On top of that, the drug is marketed specifically--
this drug has been marketed very differently than crack was
marketed, and marketed very differently than heroin was
marketed.
Chairman Lieberman. How so?
Dr. Vereen. Take a look at the pictures of those attractive
pills.\1\ That is very different than in the case of crack,
which was sold on the street.
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\1\ Pictures referred to appear in the Appendix on page 69.
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Chairman Lieberman. They have diagrams or symbols on the
pills, and words like love or Adam, which is another name for
the drug.
Dr. Vereen. Yes, and initially targeted at young, upper
middle-class folks who could afford to pay $20 or upwards of
$50 for a single pill.
Chairman Lieberman. It is an important point that the two
of you have made. They have almost a candy look to them, or a
pill look, which, of course, makes them seem less dangerous
than, obviously, using a drug that requires needle injection or
even smoking marijuana, because of the aroma. Let me come back
to the international scene. We have heard testimony that the
manufacturers remain mostly in Belgium and the Netherlands. Is
this becoming a worldwide problem now? Is usage now worldwide
or is it mostly concentrated in Western Europe and the United
States?
Mr. Keefe. Sir, it is worldwide. We have investigations we
work through our country offices throughout the world, Asia,
South Africa, Central America, South America--throughout the
world, sir.
Chairman Lieberman. OK, and I gather from your testimony
that there are organized criminal operations in Israel and
Russia that are the primary sources of MDMA coming into this
country?
Mr. Keefe. I would not necessarily say they are all in
Russia or Israel. They are Russian-Israeli organized crime
groups that come together, many of which are in Europe, not
all, but directly with their command and control out of Israel,
although we are working more closely with our counterparts in
Israel on these investigations involving subjects that are from
Israel.
Chairman Lieberman. And one of you said you expect--maybe
it was Detective Rutland--that you expect, because of the
profitability here, that other traditional drug cartels, if I
can use that expression, may be getting into this business now,
including those from south of our border. Is that a fair
assumption?
Mr. Rutland. Absolutely. No question, sir. Lately we have
dealt directly with cartel members that have ties with the
newer source nations. I would like to comment, if I could, on
the last question.
Chairman Lieberman. Please.
Mr. Rutland. The problem is the drug and its benign
appearance. That is the problem with the younger adults and the
kids. However, let's not limit it to just them, because we now
know--all ages are affected. The problem has gone mainstream.
The rave problem is one problem. It is now mainstream on the
streets. When I first started dealing with narcotraffickers in
MDMA, I was dealing at a street level on the streets, not in
these venues, these rave parties. And it is important to know
that because I have worked and infiltrated many of these rave
parties. I know they have just been venues for this drug club
distribution. But to your first question, the answer is without
a doubt, that the traditional source nations are now involved
and are tapping into this market.
Chairman Lieberman. A very important point, that while as a
society--and as parents, we are obviously protective and
particularly concerned about the use of the drug among young
people, it is also spreading among adults, as well.
Parenthetically, would it be fair to expect of those in law
enforcement that, as there comes to be competition for this
market, they will have to deal with turf battles, criminal
conflict, and violence associated with controlling the markets?
Mr. Varrone. Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman. I think the Sammy
``the Bull'' Gravano case is illustrative of that point.
Chairman Lieberman. That is a very important point. Go
ahead.
Mr. Varrone. From all accounts--and it was a joint
investigation by Federal and State and local agencies control
of the market share in the Arizona area was what that
organization was about, and quite frankly I believe violence
was expected on their part.
Chairman Lieberman. Just for the record, identify Mr.
Gravano and what status he had when he was apprehended for
distributing Ecstasy or overseeing the distribution of Ecstasy.
Mr. Varrone. Well, sir, he was initially in the witness
protection program. Upon withdrawing from the program, he
resided in the Arizona area, and from photographs of his home,
quite comfortably.
Chairman Lieberman. And he was then apprehended for playing
a central role in the distribution of MDMA in the Arizona area.
Is that right?
Mr. Varrone. Yes, sir, he and his family.
Chairman Lieberman. His personal family or criminal family?
Mr. Varrone. No, his personal family.
Chairman Lieberman. Final question on this round for me,
and then I will yield to Senator Bunning. Because of the
different nature of the drug's appearance, it looks like a pill
or even candy, is the distribution network different than it is
for what we would think of as harder drugs, like heroin or
cocaine, or is it comparable?
Mr. Varrone. I think the distribution chain is much broader
than traditional heroin and cocaine organizations are. I think
the handling and locations of distribution are more widespread,
such as college and high school campuses. In addition, this
belief, this false notion, that MDMA is harmless is causing
more and more people to engage in it.
Chairman Lieberman. Mr. Bailey.
Mr. Bailey. Senator, we do not have it up in the north end
of Hartford or down in your area of New Haven.
Chairman Lieberman. These are sort of urban, low-income
areas?
Mr. Bailey. It is urban. It is suburban. It is upper
middle-class. That is where they are getting it, and as you
pointed out, to make this pill, it takes about six cents, and
they can sell it for $20 to $40, and that is why people are
going into the business.
Chairman Lieberman. It sounded to me from the testimony
that Dayna and Philip gave at the outset, that part of their
purchases were from peers. The distribution, therefore, seems
to be moving to where the market is, as you described.
Senator Bunning.
Senator Bunning. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just an
observation from most of the testimony, heroin, cocaine, crack
cocaine, the public perception of those drugs in the United
States is bad; the public perception of MDMA is either unknown
or good. Therefore, we have a terrible education problem, not
only trying to educate our young adults and our college
students, but also their parents. That seems to me to be our
No. 1 educational issue, to make sure that they know there are
consequences from taking Ecstasy, as we saw from your scan of
the brain. Unless we can get that information out, this drug is
going to stay around an awful long time, because it is coming
in.
Believe me, you said Los Angeles was one of the stops.
Well, it just comes through Los Angeles to the Greater
Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Airport. The guy just stays on the
plane or switches over to a domestic plane. For that matter, we
have an awful lot of international flights coming from the area
of Frankfurt, Paris, Rome, and all of the places that are
becoming new distribution spots. My question is, is local law
enforcement, the DEA and all other local and Federal agencies
aware where these raves and other things are being published,
that they are actually publicly putting notices or flyers up
saying, ``Come on down, have some fun?'' How much of that, at
the local level, Mr. Bailey, do you see, or if you do not see
it, why do we know about it?
Mr. Bailey. Well, in New York City, they rent a warehouse
for a night. The reason why people were coming to Connecticut,
they knew where the rave clubs were. They would wait outside
for 4 or 5 hours to get in. They know they could get the supply
in the rave clubs. But I think the testimony this morning from
the young man was so important, when he said he had to commit
crimes--burglaries, stealing TVs, tape recorders--to get the
money to buy the drugs. I have never heard that before, and I
think that is the message that has to go out of this meeting
today, is that when you begin taking this pill, it can lead to
criminal activities, and not just simple criminal activities--
stealing from your mother's purse or something--real criminal
activities of burglaries, where the young man could go away in
Connecticut for 5 to 10 years.
Senator Bunning. But normally don't we have the same
problem with the harder narcotics?
Mr. Bailey. Absolutely.
Senator Bunning. So we have to look at this as a hard
narcotic, like crack cocaine. We know the addiction. But we do
not have that same message out in the public.
Mr. Bailey. That is the point, Senator, which Senator
Lieberman said. Right now, in the suburban areas of
Connecticut, and I am sure across this country, no one is
fearful of this drug, because it is in the high schools, it is
into the colleges, and more importantly there is no negative--
right now, there is no negative feeling about this drug. Up at
the University of Connecticut--we have it up there, but this
panel has finally brought out the image that it can cause brain
damage and it can lead to crime.
Senator Bunning. Let me ask Mr. Rutland; you mentioned the
fact that more traditional narcotic traffickers are now
involved, obviously for the money. What do you think are the
long-term consequences of that, in direct competition to the
people who have been bringing it in. If we have traditional
narcotics traffickers doing it--there is going to be a
conflict, a major conflict, between those new people in the
business and the people who have traditionally brought illegal
narcotics into the United States.
Mr. Rutland. I agree, sir, and you point out probably our
greatest challenge, one of our greatest challenges. Not only
are we dealing with traditional narcotraffickers and the
traditional source nations, sir, but we are now dealing with
traditional narcotraffickers that are now living in the newer
source nations and conducting business there. On some recent
investigations of mine in Miami, it is definitely a problem. We
are targeting those source nations aggressively.
Senator Bunning. Can I ask anyone on the panel, how do we
help the parents of these 14 year-olds, 13 year-olds, and on
down, to recognize the symptoms? There are no eyes that you can
look at, and there is no real knowledge about what we have to
see in a young person that would tip us off. If I were raising
nine kids, like I did, and this were to be a problem and I
could see something that would tip me off--if they did not eat,
if they dropped out of school, yes, but these are symptoms that
come after the fact--how do we recognize it quickly? Yes, go
ahead, Doctor.
Dr. Leshner. One thing I think that is vastly important is
to get the message out very rapidly that this is an equal
opportunity destroyer, that this is a problem that is happening
in every community and internationally, not just in this
country, and to every group of kids. Therefore, every parent's
child is literally at risk. The second thing is that there are
some indicators that should alert parents; for example, mood
changes. This is a drug, as you heard from Dayna and from
Philip, that has very dramatic effects on mood while you are
taking it, but also after you have taken it. It has to do with
the brain chemical effects. But there is a verifiable, very
real mood change that occurs after it. The other thing that
happens that should alert parents is that it has long-lasting
effects on memory. Now, it does not turn you into a school
failure, but it certainly would take the edge off school
performance. The way in which it interferes with the memory in
a long-lasting way might take your child from getting 90's to
getting 70's. Therefore, any change in school performance
should be used as a hint to a parent.
Senator Bunning. Well, the fact of the matter is that most
other narcotics have the same effect. When you have crack
cocaine or just regular cocaine or heroin, there is an ugliness
to it. Marijuana does not have that same ugliness, except for
the smell. You can tell if you are around somebody who is
smoking marijuana--you can tell that they have been smoking
marijuana. With this drug, you do not see anything except a
pill. You have showed what you took away at the airport, but
the fact of the matter is they must have some local places that
are turning those into pills. Have we concentrated local law
enforcement and Federal law enforcement in discovering where
they are changed over to the pill?
Mr. Varrone. Sir, most of the pill pressing is done
foreign.
Senator Bunning. There is not much done in the United
States?
Mr. Varrone. There is some, but to a much lesser extent.
The pill presses are regulated, I believe, by the Drug
Enforcement Administration.
Mr. Keefe. Yes, sir. We do not see that many cases to date
in the United States where we have had pill-presses seized.
Senator Bunning. Or their producers.
Mr. Keefe. Yes, sir.
Senator Bunning. Just except a few?
Mr. Keefe. Yes, sir.
Senator Bunning. So it is still all being imported just as
we see it on the chart?
Mr. Keefe. That is correct.
Chairman Lieberman. Senator Bunning, I think Detective
Rutland would like to respond to the last question.
Senator Bunning. Go ahead, Detective.
Mr. Rutland. Just to your last question, I think it is
paramount--you were talking about looking for signs--it is
paramount that parents in this country understand the nexus
between the drug paraphernalia here, the club drug
paraphernalia and the drug itself. There is a direct connection
between the paraphernalia that is now used with this drug in
these different venues. Surgical masks, water bottles, glow
sticks, Vicks inhalers--parents need to understand and educate
themselves that this paraphernalia is not a trend. This
paraphernalia is a nexus between the drug and its use.
Senator Bunning. May I ask the Chairman, does the bill that
Senator Graham has deal with that type of thing?
Chairman Lieberman. This will not come off your time. It is
no problem. The bill which I have co-sponsored--Senator
Grassley is also on it--has four major purposes; one is the
education of young people about the negative health effects;
two is education of State and local law enforcement and also
funding; three is adequate funding for the NIH for research;
and then fourth is State and local government initiatives.
Senator Bunning. That does exactly what we need to get
done.
Chairman Lieberman. Yes. We have got some funding in here
to do exactly what you are talking about.
Senator Bunning. Thank you very much for the time.
Chairman Lieberman. Thanks, Senator Bunning. I am going to
ask a few more questions, and if you have any others you would
like to ask, please do. You did clarify a question I was going
to ask, which was that Mr. Varrone indicated that there had
been the discovery of a lab manufacturing MDMA, Ecstasy,
outside Los Angeles. I had understood that there was very
little of this happening in the United States, but I gather
that was a rare find, that it still remains mostly foreign-
produced; is that correct?
Mr. Varrone. Yes, sir. The manufacturing process is
difficult, but there have been a few labs discovered. There was
one discovered on a college campus in Boulder, Colorado. That
lab, and I believe Mr. Keefe may know of more labs, having
primacy in that area.
Mr. Keefe. Sir, I think you referred to in your opening
statement the one in Stonington, Connecticut, which was a small
lab, obviously a very brilliant student, who was able to put
the formula together and work with some of the chemicals. The
primary chemicals are List I chemicals here in the United
States. There are only about 84 companies that actually involve
with them, and we have pretty good registration work with them
in checking that. That is not to say that we, being so
innovative in the United States, will not smuggle chemicals in
here, will not attempt to do clandestine labs. At this point,
we have seen a number of them, as Mr. Varrone said, near
college campuses, a couple of large ones. We have also seen
chemical labs in Canada, on the U.S. border, which we have been
working with our counterparts, with the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police, on those. Certainly organized crime lab operators and
whatnot will work together to build labs, and it is certainly a
concern of ours.
As Mr. Rutland stated, that is why we all need to work
together to identify this information and share it, so that we
can work on these cases.
Chairman Lieberman. So this is not easy to make?
Mr. Keefe. No, sir. You do not have to be a chemist, but
you have to have some background, although you can get the
formulas off the Internet.
Chairman Lieberman. Right. Dr. Leshner, do you have
anything to add to that? In other words, it is not just mixing
a few things together. You have got to know how to do this.
Dr. Leshner. Right, this is serious chemistry.
Chairman Lieberman. Right. While I have you there--and if
you or any other witnesses do not have this information, maybe
Dr. Vereen, I will ask you to submit it for the record--I
gather there have been some deaths that are associated with
Ecstasy use, and I also have seen numbers, as I mentioned
earlier, about remarkable increases in emergency room mentions
of Ecstasy. Do you have any data on that?
Dr. Leshner. We do. First of all, there is tremendous
individual differences in susceptibility to the acute, the
short-term effects of the drug. So some people are tremendously
reactive, both to its stimulant effects and to its effect of
raising body temperature. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration just released the emergency data from
the DAWN survey, and we went from something like 250 emergency
room cases of Ecstasy in 1994, to over 4,000 in the year 2000.
This is a tremendous increase. This is a representative sample.
It is not the total of emergency room cases. So those people
who are particularly susceptible to the drug can go into
convulsions, febrile convulsions, as you would with any fever.
People have had strokes. People have had heart attacks. It is
very, very powerful stimulant, and therefore it has all of the
associated dangers with it.
Chairman Lieberman. Dr. Vereen, do you want to add anything
to that?
Dr. Vereen. Yes, that is very important information. It is
our job to take that and to turn it into something that is
useful. Parents need to be aware that they may not see these
findings in the emergency room every day, but we have to get
the information out there. And as Senator Bunning was
indicating earlier, this concern and challenge about getting
messages out to parents about what to look for, there are
efforts to help parents and young people in the steps before
that.
For example, our National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign
has messages for young people on how to refuse invitations from
peers, because when you heard from our two young witnesses
earlier, it was in the setting of peers that they took the
drug. There are negative consequences that parents need to be
able to sit down and talk to their young folks about, and there
are parenting skills that can be shared, as well. In addition,
we try to get information out into television by talking to
writers and producers. We have recreated in some ways the panel
that you have in front of you, to educate the folks who write
for daytime television and popular television, so that accurate
information gets out there early.
Chairman Lieberman. Good. Dr. Vereen, you had interesting
testimony about the four stages of drug use or past epidemics.
Just give me those four stages again.
Dr. Vereen. Yes. There is the initiation phase, and then
there is the expansion phase, and then the plateau, and then
the decline.
Chairman Lieberman. And now we are in the expansion phase
for Ecstasy.
Dr. Vereen. Yes.
Chairman Lieberman. Growing rapidly, some alarming numbers,
about one out of nine, I think you said, of high school seniors
using it, still lower than other drug usage. So the question is
obvious. What can we do all together to try to stop it, to get
it to the plateau and reduction phase so it does not go through
the normal sequence--which would be continuing expansion. I
know that last year we adopted legislation that increased the
penalties under Federal law for--is it Ecstasy possession and
sale? The question is, and let me ask you all to take a shot at
this, what are the one or two most significant things we could
do now? Let me ask another question. Are we working enough
together now or is law enforcement working together enough now?
Dr. Vereen.
Dr. Vereen. Yes, I can tell you unequivocally, and you have
heard directly from law enforcement, but more importantly, the
collaboration is happening faster than it has in other
epidemics.
Chairman Lieberman. You all clearly identified this as a
priority concern from your testimony, and this is something
that you see happening and you are trying, each in your own
way, to do something about it. So let me go back to my previous
question then. What are a couple of things that we could do, we
in Congress, perhaps members of State legislatures, local
governments, to try to stop the expansion and have the usage of
this drug recede? Let's just go down the row. Dr. Vereen.
Dr. Vereen. One thing we can do is learn from what we have
done in the past. We got guidance to develop a methamphetamine
task force several years ago. That allowed us to go out across
the country to meet with local officials and groups, and
understand the methamphetamine problem as it was spreading
across the country from west to east. This drug is spreading in
a different fashion, but certainly a collaborative effort, a
task force that would allow us to focus even further, as we
have now, to tailor a response for this particular drug. There
are some general issues we have to deal with in every epidemic,
as I have tried to outline, but each drug takes advantage of
vulnerabilities in different communities, and we have to help
equip our communities to thwart the spread of these drugs. We
have to do prevention. We have to do education. We work with
law enforcement. We have to pay attention to the influx from
the outside of this particular drug, and all of that has to be
coordinated and reviewed, coordinated and reviewed.
Chairman Lieberman. I am pleased to tell you that the bill
that I referred to does call for the creation of an interagency
Ecstasy task force. Dr. Leshner, what would you say are the one
or two things we could do together here?
Dr. Leshner. The biggest determinant of use rates over
history has been the perception of harm or the perception or
risk. As the perception of harm goes down, use goes up, and the
reverse. So my view is that among the most important things we
can do is get accurate, non-hyperbolic--it is important that it
be accurate--information about the dangers of Ecstasy use out
into every community in this country, in ways that can actually
be used by people. That is, we have to speak to people where
they are, not where we are, and talk to them about the nature
of this substance and the danger it poses for our young people
and for generations to come.
Chairman Lieberman. Mr. Varrone.
Mr. Varrone. Yes, sir. Mr. Chairman, the concept of an
interagency Ecstacy task force, I think, is excellent. We
currently have a unit where we coordinate investigative and
introdiction activity within Customs and share our findings.
However, a large task force seeing where we can put out our
findings to the larger community and have increased contact
with DEA and the international community, I think, would be
very helpful. This task force would also benefit us in
addressing the active, and unfortunately successful, campaign
to market Ecstasy across this country. It would enable us to
more effectively convey the serious and harmful effects of MDMA
use. I have high school children myself, and I am often alarmed
when I talk at the dinner table about Ecstasy, and they seem to
know as much as I do, if not more. That is certainly very
alarming as a parent. I really think that education and public
outreach getting the message out quickly to our young people,
is vital to our success. To date, we have had success in this
area through the use of our Customs website.
Chairman Lieberman. Mr. Keefe.
Mr. Keefe. Sir, the continued support by Congress to assist
law enforcement in attacking these criminal organizations that
bring this drug into our country, and assist our agents
overseas who are working with our foreign counterparts
throughout the world to attack these global organizations is
very important.
Chairman Lieberman. So some of that is adequate funding.
Mr. Keefe. Continued adequate funding, certainly, to attack
them. As we move in certain directions and as we see with our
foreign counterparts as they attack it, they will move in
different directions. Whether they will come into Cincinnati
and bypass L.A.--as we continue to work together in law
enforcement, to be supported so that we can get that
information out, so that we can continue to attack them from a
law enforcement--and echoing Mr. Varrone's comments of getting
out the right message through demand reduction programs, to
educate the young people and the parents of this country, is
very important.
Chairman Lieberman. Do you need additional law enforcement
authority, or is there enough in the existing laws?
Mr. Keefe. I believe for Ecstasy, sir, the recent increase
in the penalties will be certainly helpful. I think they have
been adequate. I do not have all the expertise here--knowledge
right now. Some of the other date-rape drugs, sir, I think we
might want to look into some of the sentencing requests on that
so that they do not move from one area to another. As we
attack, they will come in different ways, sir.
Chairman Lieberman. There was reference in somebody's
testimony to use of a so-called crack-house statute.
Mr. Keefe. Yes, sir.
Chairman Lieberman. Which I have before me, which just
generally makes it unlawful to, ``Manage or control any
building, room, or enclosure, knowingly and intentionally rent,
lease or make available for use for the purpose of unlawfully
manufacturing, storing, distributing, or using a controlled
substance.'' Is that something that you are using now to combat
Ecstasy?
Mr. Keefe. Yes, we are, sir. We have used it in New
Orleans, in Louisiana, and in other places similar to what Mr.
Bailey is doing on a State level in Connecticut. I think we
need to bring all these efforts together, whether it is civil
or criminal, to do everything we can to work together to close
these places where people are making money there, using kids to
make money.
Chairman Lieberman. Well-said. Mr. Bailey.
Mr. Bailey. I mentioned before we met with 125 high school
students in Connecticut, and what really shocked me was they
told me--and they met and came out with a list--that they
wanted to have the DARE program--fine, it is in grammar
school--but they felt that it should be in high school, because
they would finally find out the new drugs out there. When they
were told about marijuana and cocaine and crack in grammar
school, they said by the time they got to high school, they
forgot all that and they did not know about Ecstasy. They did
not know about the club drugs. They did not know about Special
K, and they wanted to have that information in the high
schools, because they had no knowledge of any of these new
drugs at all.
Chairman Lieberman. That is exactly what I have heard in
visits with high school students in Connecticut, exactly the
same. Detective Rutland.
Mr. Rutland. Mr. Chairman, the previous changes in the
guidelines regarding MDMA, both at the Federal level and the
State level, I believe have been very effective. I have seen
direct results. I am pleased to say I was an active part of the
National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign with the ONDCP. We went
out and gave the message to these screenwriters, who then put
the message out on television and radio. I, in addition, have
seen direct results there. All of these different methods have
been effective. I see the results now.
I think Dr. Vereen was directly on point when he mentioned
this national task force. I think a national task force that
focused simply on MDMA, in conjunction with different Federal
agencies, different outside foreign agencies, such as Interpol,
Europol, would, in addition, be very effective.
Chairman Lieberman. Thank you. Senator Bunning.
Senator Bunning. I just would like to reinforce what I said
before. The methamphetamine madness took Kentucky by storm. We
have got places that are producing it all over Kentucky. My
fear is that even though this drug is more sophisticated, you
can get the same type of production because it is so
successful, and then distribute it, not only from importing
those funny looking pills, but you can bring them in and make
them look like aspirin, locally. I know that the sophistication
of the chemical mix makes it a little more difficult, but that
has never, ever stopped criminal narcotic distribution in the
United States in any stretch--crack cocaine, cocaine, all have
local distribution centers.
I would hope, through this bill, that we can at least
prevent that from starting. But we have an awful lot of work to
do in the education of parents and children and young adults,
particularly, and the peer pressure that goes with being a
young adult, that you could just have a pill handed to you and
right there you are hooked. It is just like crack cocaine,
nothing more addicting than that, that I know of. Of course,
the level of being addicted varies with the person. I hope this
information that we got today will stimulate our interest in
moving that bill to the floor. I know that I have been
uninformed, and now I am a lot more informed. Thank you for
being here today, and hopefully, Detective Rutland, we can get
right to the heart of things. Thank you.
Chairman Lieberman. Senator Bunning, thanks. Thanks for
your participation in this hearing today. This has been a very
important, informative hearing and, of course, I hope the word
goes out from here about the dangers of this drug, just as
Senator Bunning said. That is probably the most important thing
that could happen from here, but I want to in some sense, issue
a challenge to all of us, which is that we now see yet another
problem, another threat to our kids and to our society. The
question is whether we are going to be able to get together
with a combination of education, prevention and aggressive law
enforcement, adequately supported, and research--I would add,
Dr. Leshner--so we will be able to curtail what would otherwise
be the extended lifespan of this MDMA, Ecstasy, crisis--
epidemic--and to knock it down.
We may come back in September and do another hearing on
this subject, maybe ask Senator Graham, Senator Grassley, and
others who have worked on this legislation with us, to come in
and bring others in, as well. Then, as my colleague said, this
is serious enough to see if we can get this bill out and passed
this year. Considering all the other things we spend money on,
this is a relatively modest appropriation with a major
potential effect. We were all adolescents once. We know the
struggles of adolescence, and we know the extent to which
adolescents, by their very nature, live on the edge. And, this
is today's threat to them as they go to the edge, seemingly for
many of them, in an innocuous, harmless way. This threat may
lead them to hurt themselves seriously for the rest of their
lives, even end their lives.
So I thank all of you on this panel. I thank again Dayna
and Philip for their compelling testimony that started this
out. We are going to keep the record of the hearing open for a
week.
[The prepared statement of Senator Levin follows:]
PREPARED STATEMENT OF SENATOR LEVIN
Thank you Mr. Chairman for holding this hearing. I think it's
extremely timely.
I'm alarmed at what I've been reading about the rapid growth in
MDMA abuse across the country and I'm especially concerned about what's
happening in Michigan. In Detroit alone, the number of poison control
cases from MDMA more than doubled between 1998 and 2000. In the seven
States that make up the Great Lakes Organized Crime Drug Enforcement
Task Force region, 30 agencies have reported that MDMA is ``readily
available.''
In September of last year, customs officials seized two MDMA
shipments at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. And in August of last
year, Canadian authorities intercepted more than seven and a half
million dollars worth of MDMA in a container of automotive parts that
originated in Belgium and was believed to be bound for Michigan.
Among other problems, the increased demand for MDMA has opened new
avenues for organized crime. In fact, law enforcement officials in my
State report that Israeli and Russian syndicates have already secured
control of the transport and wholesale distribution of MDMA in
Michigan. Unfortunately, I believe that an increase in violence will
come in the wake of the MDMA trade.
The rapidly rising number of people abusing MDMA means that we may
be approaching this situation faster than we expected. In fact, just
last week USA Today reported that emergency room visits involving
Ecstasy increased 58 percent between 1999 and 2000. We have to do
something to stem the tide of abuse. I hope this hearing allows us to
better understand what needs to be done and provides some insight as to
how the Congress can help. Thank you Mr. Chairman and I look forward to
hearing from the witnesses.
Chairman Lieberman. We may have some additional questions
we want to ask you to answer for the record. Until then, thank
you, and the hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:47 a.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
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