The federal government reinforces criminalization, parents call for education, and doctors and others encourage accurate knowledge about MDMA
22 British Columbians have died in the last 18 months after using the popular party drug Ecstasy. The drug had been, in some case, been tainted with paramethoxymethamphetamine (PMMA), a substance five times more toxic than ordinary Ecstasy, or MDMA.
The tragic deaths of the young people involved has led to a range of responses. Some schools are hoping to increase the drug literacy of their students, using curriculum prepared by The Centre for Addictions Research of B.C. at the University of Victoria.
The Abbotsford police produced a video, Operation X, in which the mothers and friends of victims speak about the dangers of the drug. That video has been shown to thousands of students in Abbotsford. In March 2012, the class of drugs that includes MDMA was elevated by the federal government to a ‘Schedule I’ level, giving it the same status as heroin and cocaine.
British Columbia’s provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall has stated that the risks of pure MDMA have been exaggerated, and that dangers arise when the chemical is tainted when prepared by the gangs who sell it. But Dr. Kendall has also said he is not advocating for Ecstasy (MDMA) to be legalized and sold in stores.
We speak with British Columbia’s provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall.
