Political Quotes

“there is a new drug on the scene--Ecstasy, a synthetic stimulant and hallucinogen. It belongs to a group of drugs referred to as ``club drugs'' because they are associated with all-night dance parties known as ``raves.'' There is a widespread misconception that Ecstasy is not a dangerous drug--that it is ``no big deal.'' I am here to tell you that Ecstasy is a very big deal. The drug depletes the brain of serotonin, the chemical responsible for mood, thought, and memory. Studies show that Ecstasy use can reduce serotonin levels by up to 90 percent for at least two weeks after use and can cause brain damage. If that isn't a big deal, I don't know what is. A few months ago we got a significant warning sign that Ecstasy use is becoming a real problem. The University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future survey, a national survey measuring drug use among students, reported that while overall levels of drug use had not increased, past month use of Ecstasy among high school seniors increased more than 66 percent. The survey showed that nearly six percent of high school seniors have used Ecstasy in the past year. This may sound like a small number, so let me put it in perspective--it is just slightly less than the percentage of seniors who used cocaine and it is five times the number of seniors who used heroin. And with the supply of Ecstasy increasing as rapidly as it is, the number of kids using this drug is only likely to increase.”