9781422270530

THE YOUNG ADULT DRUG LIBRARY: AN EDUCATION FOR TODAY

BY AMY STERLING CASIL

MASON CREST M I A M I

PO Box 221876, Hollywood, FL 33022 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free) • www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2024 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-4762-4 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4222-4766-2 ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-7053-0 Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress Developed and Produced by National Highlights, Inc. Project Manager: Andrew Morkes Cover and Interior Design: Tara Raymo • CreativelyTara Layout: Priceless Digital Media, LLC Publisher’s Note: Websites listed in this book were active at the time of publication. The publisher is not responsible for websites that have changed their address or discontinued operation since the date of publication. The publisher reviews and updates the websites each time the book is reprinted.

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Introduction............................................................... 6 A Party Drug Turns Deadly . ........................................ 10 Chapter 1: What Is Ecstasy?.......................................15 Leah’s Tragic Story .................................................... 32 Chapter 2: The Negative Physical Effects of Ecstasy.....37 From Festival Fun to Addiction . .................................. 53 Chapter 3: The Negative Mental Effects of Ecstasy.......57 Michelle’s Story: Long-Term Addiction and Recovery . ...73 Chapter 4: Treating Addiction to Ecstasy....................77 Series Glossary of Key Terms.....................................89 Further Reading.......................................................92 Internet Resources...................................................93 Index....................................................................... 94 Author’s Biography and Credits.................................96 Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments, and much more! Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

Drug abuse remains a major problem in the United States and in other countries. In 2019, 13 percent of people aged 12 years and over reported that they had used an illegal drug in the past month, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Abuse of prescription drugs, such as painkillers, is also a serious issue. Abusing drugs can

Ecstasy tablets.

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Ecstasy is often called a “club drug” because people take it at clubs or raves to enhance their experience.

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have serious effects on one’s physical and mental health. It can also be deadly. One example is the rising number of drug overdoses, which have been fueled by the growing use and spread of the deadly opioid fentanyl. Nearly 100,000 Americans died from fentanyl overdoses from June 2020 to June 2021, according to the CDC. As a young person, you may have a lot of questions about drugs, addiction, and therapy as a result of the constant flow of information from your friends, parents, teachers, coaches, social media, and the news media. It can be confusing, because some of this information is accurate, and some is incorrect. Your questions might include: How are drugs grown or manufactured? What are the negative physical and mental effects of drug use and abuse? What are the legal penalties for possessing illegal drugs? How do you know whether someone is addicted to drugs? What are some treatment options for people who are addicted to drugs? The Young Adult Drug Library series provides answers to these and other questions about illegal and misused prescription drugs, addiction, and therapy. Each title spotlights a major drug or type of drug (such as painkillers); discusses the negative physical and mental effects of the addiction on the addict, as well as its effects on family and other loved ones; and provides an overview of treatment strategies for the addiction. Stories of those who are battling drug addiction are also featured to humanize these issues and to help readers better understand that anyone can become addicted to drugs, but also that recovery is possible.

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MDMA has not been proven to be physically addictive. However, the drug affects the same systems in the brain and nervous system that are affected by drugs that are known to cause addiction, like cocaine and heroin.

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A PARTY DRUG TURNS DEADLY

Scottish teen Cerys Reeve was only 14 years old when she went to a sleepover at her friend’s house in Greenock, Inverclyde, on July 13, 2020. Cerys loved to dance and was often part of dance competitions. She trained four to five hours every day as a dancer and was popular in school. Before she went to the sleepover at her friend’s house in a nearby town, Cerys bought ecstasy from James McCairn, a 16-year-old who was selling drugs via Snapchat. At her friend’s house, Cerys mixed ecstasy powder into juice. The girls stayed up until midnight watching a movie, but by 5:00 a.m., Cerys was in trouble. She began grunting and sweating profusely, and she fell off the bed she was sharing with her friend, waking her friend’s mother. By that time, Cerys was already very ill and began to suffer seizures. She had a high fever and felt “extremely hottothetouch,”accordingtoeventualwitnesstestimony at the Glasgow High Court, where McCairn stood trial for selling the fatal drugs to Cerys. Cerys was taken to the local hospital. Her body was rigid from constant seizures, and her eyes were open with dilated pupils, but she was unable to communicate. Soon she was unable to breathe, and she was put on a respirator.However,thetreatmentwasunsuccessful,and shortly after 8:00 a.m., Cerys was pronounced dead.

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The Young Adult Drug Library: Ecstasy

Cerys loved to dance and spent hours practicing at a local dance academy.

A Party Drug Turns Deadly

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Drug dealer James McCairn received seven years in prison for drug dealing and causing Cerys’s death.

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The Young Adult Drug Library: Ecstasy

A postmortem test discovered that Cerys had a toxic level of ecstasy in her body, 3.3 micrograms per liter of blood. James McCairn, the drug dealer, was 16 at the time of Cerys’s death. In June 2022, two years later, James was found guilty of selling the drugs that killed Cerys. He was also found guilty of supplying ecstasy to other teens in Greenock. Although his public advocate appealed the decision, McCairn was sentenced to seven years in prison for drug dealing and causing Cerys’s death.

A Party Drug Turns Deadly

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WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

adulterated: in chemistry, containing substances to change or weaken a compound clandestine: underground or secret; meant to evade the attention of authorities forensic: referring to scientific methods and technology used to uncover facts related to crimes pharmaceutical: refers to the industry that researches and develops drugs that are used by the medical profession and prescribed by pharmacists synthetic drugs: substances that are created by using chemical processes in a lab toxic: poisonous or potentially harmful to humans and other living creatures

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HEROIN

WHAT IS ECSTASY? Different Names, Same Dangers

Ecstasy is one of the names for the party drug MDMA, which is also commonly called “Molly.” It is a synthetic drug made in a laboratory, although some labs that make ecstasy are used in the trunk of a car. The formal chemical name for ecstasy is 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). This name provides a clue to its chemical background. It is derived from amphetamine and chemically similar to methamphetamine. Ecstasy is both a stimulant and a hallucinogen. It can distort the perception of time and other sensory experiences. People who use ecstasy say that it can increase empathy and self-awareness. Ecstasy was first developed in a German pharmaceutical lab in 1912 in the hope that it could be used to help control bleeding. By the 1970s, MDMA began appearing in street drug tests in the United States. Also in the 1970s, a few psychiatrists recommended using MDMA to improve communication during counseling sessions. The drug stayed “underground” in most communities until the 1980s, when it began to be sold and

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distributed more widely. In 1985, the US Drug Enforcement Administration declared that MDMA was a dangerous drug and placed it on Schedule I of banned drugs, along with LSD, heroin, and cannabis. How Is Ecstasy Made? Drugs with a similar chemical structure to ecstasy are called phenethylamines. In the lab, drug chemists start with a basic material. When Merck scientists first created MDMA in Germany in 1912, they used a chemical called safrole, a colorless, oily liquid (although impure samples can appear slightly yellow). Safrole comes from the sassafras plant, which gives root beer its characteristic sweet flavor. Safrole is also found in cinnamon and basil. It isn’t toxic or harmful when it’s found in plants that we consume for food or seasoning, but by the time it’s concentrated in oil, it can be dangerous. Concentrated safrole, and even sassafras tea, have been banned because safrole in high concentrations can be toxic. Not only is safrole—the basic starting chemical for MDMA—potentially poisonous, the lab procedures to make ecstasy include materials like hydrobromic acid and formic acid. Ecstasy is an illegal substance, so the labs that make it are also illegal or “underground.” One of the methods used to make ecstasy is called “reductive amination.” This process removes oxygen atoms from the original substance and adds an amino group of atoms. Although ecstasy is chemically similar to methamphetamine, the main difference between the two is the chemical manufacturing process, which adds a mescaline ring, a chemical structure that also occurs naturally in cactus and other similar plants. The combination of the amphetamine ring and mescaline ring creates MDMA’s combined stimulant and psychedelic effects. MDMA is also similar to another drug, MDA

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The Young Adult Drug Library: Ecstasy