Hearing: "Ecstasy: Underestimating the Threat" Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control Chairman, Sen. Chuck Grassley, of Iowa
Date & Time: Tuesday, July 25, 2000, at 10:00 a.m. (Rescheduled from June 28, 2000)Location: Senate Dirksen Building: Room 628 Description:The use of the drug Ecstasy by the nation's teens and young adults has been on the rise. This hearing will examine the growing use of MDMA, commonly known as "Ecstasy," which has been advertised as a ‘safe' drug that many teens take in order to maintain a high, known as ‘rolling,' at all-night dance parties called raves. Use of this dangerous drug is part of an alarming trend. The purpose of this hearing is to raise awarness of the trend, to examine production and smuggling methods into the United States, and to reveal the detrimental effects of Ecstasy upon the human body. Sen. Grassley, along with Sen. Bob Graham (Fla.), has introduced legislation (S 2612) that aims to toughen Ectasy-trafficking penalties. The State Department estimates that 85 to 90 percent of the Ecstasy entering the United States is produced in Western Europe. According the U.S. Customs Service the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain are the primary manufacturing countries of Ecstasy. Other European countries, China and India provide precursor chemicals required for Ecstasy production. In the past 10 months the Customs Service has seized more than 6 million doses of Ecstasy, almost double the amount seized last year. According to the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, rave parties have been on the increase in Iowa over the past few years, but seizures of Ecstasy have been rare. Witness List: Panel I Dr. Donald R. Vereen, MD., MPH, Deputy Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy The Honorable Rand Beers, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Department of State The Honorable Raymond W. Kelly, Commissioner, U.S. Customs Mr. Richard A. Fiano, Chief of Operations, Drug Enforcement Administration Panel II Steven S. Martin, Scientist, Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies, University of Delaware Amy Ross, Arlington, Va., resident, Sister of a 19 year-old Ecstasy Victim