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MARCH
21, 2002 | A psychologist at the University of
Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) warns that
“club drugs” such as Ecstacy can kill the user
despite their reputation for being safe.
The most well-known club drug is XTC, also known as
Ecstacy, MDMA, and Adam. XTC is both a hallucinogenic
and amphetamine drug, so it produces strong
hallucinations and energizes the user to a high level
of activity for hours - in frenetic dancing, for
example. Sometimes the quantity of the drug and a high
level of activity by the user can increase body
temperature to a fatal level. In Arkansas, police have
already attributed several deaths to club drugs in the
past year.
Today’s club drugs are powerful chemicals that
dramatically alter the mind of the user. The drugs are
generally used in social settings and have been
associated with the rave dance scene and techno music.
Many users of these drugs say it makes them feel so
good that it is difficult to believe the drugs can be
dangerous.
Joseph Banken, Ph.D., a practicing licensed
psychologist and assistant professor in the Department
of Family and Community Medicine of the UAMS College
of Medicine, spoke to high school students about club
drugs yesterday. Some students attended his lecture on
campus while others watched via television hook-ups at
remote schools around Arkansas and in the Bronx, New
York. His lecture was a presentation by the Partners
in Health Science (PIHS) program at UAMS.
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High School students were
attentive at a recent UAMS lecture on the dangers of
"club drugs."
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“Young people may be tempted to experiment ‘just once’
based on the testimony of a friend who is a user.
Some may believe it’s a natural product and therefore
safe, although there are many natural products and herbs that
are unsafe. Others
may think XTC (Ecstasy) is categorically different from illegal
‘street drugs,’” Dr. Banken said.
GHB
is another club drug that is appearing at Arkansas parties. GHB,
or Georgia Home Boy, can be lethal if combined with a small
amount of alcohol or other drugs that depress the brain and
nervous system.
Many
ask, “What is a safe amount of a club drug?” Banken answers:
“No one knows.” There is no scientific measure for so-called
recreational use. Unlike medicines regulated by the FDA and
standardized by the pharmaceutical industry, the most common
club drugs are neither regulated nor subject to exact dosage
formulas or quality control.
The
user - not the manufacturer or seller - bears all the
responsibility for taking a club drug.
“In event of psycho-emotional trauma or death,
there’s no one to blame (or sue) but the user,” says Dr.
Banken, “but that’s no solace for concerned parents or other
family members and friends.”
The
PIHS program at UAMS receives financial support from the
National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of
Health. Bob Burns, Ph.D., of the Department of Anatomy and
Neurobiology, College of Medicine at UAMS, is the principal
investigator for the six-year (1997-2003) grant worth $1.5
million. Mary Lindsey, M.S.W., Director of Special Projects for
PIHS, organizes the student field trips to UAMS PIHS has
involved 976 different Arkansas students in grades 7-12 and
provided 1,527 hours of health science education to
participants.
According to Dr. Burns, known as “Doc Bob” to Arkansas
students and participants in this innovative educational science
program, “These students get a front row seat in a virtual
classroom through the Interactive Video Network.
The teachers are actual scientists engaged in
cutting-edge scientific research at UAMS.”
UAMS uses the interactive television hook-ups frequently to
deliver lectures and demonstrations to health care
professionals, clinic consultations, and programs for youth.
Links
on This Page
UAMS High-Risk: http://www.uams.edu/today/011002/consultations.htm
Family Medicine: http://www.uams.edu/today/101101/arthritis.htm
Schools: http://www.uams.edu/info/Updates/April01/k12.htm
HTYH: http://www.uams.edu/today/111501/htyh.htm
© 2002 University of Arkansas
for Medical Sciences (UAMS). A single copy of these materials
may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only.
“UAMS,” “UAMS Medical Center,” “UAMS Online,”
“UAMS Today,” “uams.edu,” and “Here’s to Your
Health” are marks of UAMS.
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