Attack on experts' `ecstasy safe' claim

HEATHER MILLS

Home Affairs Correspondent

Leading drug experts yesterday backed a social services director who provoked a storm of protest after claiming the dance drug ecstasy is "relatively safe".

Paul Betts, father of Leah, the Essex teenager who died last year after taking a tablet on her 18th birthday, immediately denounced the claim by Mary Hartnoll, Glasgow's director, as "totally irresponsible".

Nigel Evan, the Conservative MP and anti-ecstasy campaigner, said she was ignoring the "appalling" side-effects, including heart and kidney failure and long term depression.

However, some psychiatrists and drug experts said that, taken in context, her views were "spot on" and "helpful" to the debate on the drug problem.

Mrs Hartnoll's comments came in a written response to the city's licensing board, which has launched a hard-line anti-drugs drive. It is shunning the introduction of harm reduction measures - like advice and chill-out areas in clubs - being promoted by those working in the field of drugs use and abuse.

She argued the "fear" message was not getting through to young people because it did not accord with their own drug-using experience and behaviour. "The irony is that ecstasy, for example, is a relatively safe drug - risk of death has been calculated as one in 6.8 million - (the risk of dying from an ordinary dose of aspirin is very much greater) and young people tend to know this," she wrote.

"For every highly-publicised death, those who use regularly balance their experience of their own, and friends' experience of frequent, safe and enjoyable usage".

She was not available for comment yesterday, but Mr Betts said of her views: "To come from such a prominent person, it's absolutely stupid." He told the BBC: "She should look at her facts and get her facts right before she makes such a sweeping statement."

American research had found ecstasy caused permanent and irreversible brain damage, he said, referring to a two year study carried out by Dr Charles Grob for the US Food and Drug Administration in California.

However, UK drug experts said they wanted to see the research published and tested before commenting on it - and stressed the damage caused by prolonged use of alcohol and smoking.

Now big business in the UK - with estimated sales of 100 million tablets a year - ecstasy or "E" was patented in Germany 80 years ago as a treatment for obesity. It triggers chemical changes in the brain, giving a boost of energy and a feeling of well being.

John Davies, professor of psychology at Strathclyde University, said: "Even using the most alarming estimates, ecstasy is not a major cause of death among young people."

He suggested that Mrs Hartnoll's views were shared by most working in the field of drug use and abuse, who wanted to see harm reduction - rather than failed attempts at eradication.