Letters

WHAT ECSTASY DOES TO YOUR BRAIN

"We older citizens regard youth, health and prosperity as ecstasy, while our prosperous, healthy youth resort to a pill to achieve it." ED TROSTER Smyrna, Tenn.

Your Cover Story on ecstasy caught my attention [SOCIETY, June 5]. I am a teenager who is exposed to drugs and drug users every day. When I brought the article to school, it passed from hand to hand throughout the day. Although your purpose was to discuss both the harmful effects and therapeutic benefits of ecstasy, it sparked a curiosity among many of my friends. And since the drug is readily available in our community, I'm sure teens will experiment with it. I hope the article does not exacerbate a growing problem. NOA BIRAN Marlboro, N.J.

The report on ecstasy was disappointing and potentially misleading. Ecstasy use is extremely risky for anyone's health. Ecstasy (or MDMA) can produce significant increases in heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. Because its stimulant effects enable users to dance for extended periods, it can also lead to dehydration, hypertension and heart or kidney failure. Ecstasy use can also lead to long-lasting damage to critical serotonin-containing brain cells. You missed an important educational opportunity. Your article erred heavily on the side of glorifying a substance that experts agree is dangerous, particularly to those involved in the club drug scene. ALAN I. LESHNER, DIRECTOR National Institute on Drug Abuse National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Md.

There are so many possible uses for MDMA, the compound used in ecstasy pills, and I feel it should be legalized for personal and medicinal purposes. I know people who have found peace of mind through the use of MDMA, and I've never seen anyone who has had adverse reactions to properly made MDMA. Your story cleared up many common misperceptions. Thank you for giving both the positive and negative facts on an issue that is quietly affecting every aspect of America's youth. SARAH ANNE COPELAND Baltimore, Md.

About ecstasy: any drug that makes young people throw down their guns and start dancing should not be forbidden. It should be compulsory. DAVID A. ROACH Corpus Christi, Texas

As the substance-awareness coordinator for a high school, I spend about 25 hours a week talking to teenagers. It is important to help students find things other than drugs to excite and motivate them. After they read your report, I may have an even harder time doing that. The average teenage mind will see "e" as somewhat enticing and no big deal, because teens often feel immune to risky behavior. If I were a slightly bored 16-year-old girl who loved to dance and I was contemplating trying ecstasy, I would probably go for it. You made my uphill battle even steeper. ROBYN HENNING Nutley, N.J.

BIG MONEY

The chart that ran with your profile of Democratic Party fund raiser Terry McAuliffe noted that the two major political parties will raise more than $1 billion for this fall's election [NATION, June 5]. That is another telltale sign of our nation's frivolous attitude toward money. And unfortunately, all this cash will be spent only on the elections! The better things get, the less interested we are in the most serious areas of governing. The more money we have, the more public indifference there is to those who are hurting the most. And the beat goes on. (THE REV.) MARK FRANCESCHINI Hillside, Ill.

SOUND THE RETREAT

To characterize the Israeli withdrawal as involving "courage" for the Israelis was a slap in the face for Lebanon [WORLD, June 5]. Had the Lebanese resistance not been so effective, the 18-year Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon would have dragged on forever. My advice to Israel is to return the rest of the occupied lands to the Syrians and Palestinians now, before it finds itself doing so in a similarly "courageous" manner later on. MARK O. SOLOMON Houston

When Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak decided to do the right thing and withdraw troops from southern Lebanon to within Israel's recognized borders, he warned that the Lebanese militia Hizballah would intensify its attacks and make it look as if it had won a war, but this possibility did not deter Barak from carrying out his plan. Nevertheless, almost all the news media interpreted the withdrawal as a defeat for Israel and did not give a balanced view. With Israel located in a region that is the focal point of the three major religions, I guess Barak is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. IVAN K. SCHULLER San Diego

When one plays with fire, one should expect to get burned. What Barak did in pulling out of Lebanon was to show not courage but foolishness. GARY SCHWARTZ Fort Lee, N.J.

The war between the Lebanese resistance and the Israeli occupation forces has been a modern-day version of David vs. Goliath. David won--only this time he was an Arab. OMAR S. NEHME Miami Beach

AGING AT 58?

Of course your columnist Michelle Slatalla was joking when she wrote about needing to talk with her 58-year-old mother about going into a nursing home [PERSONAL TIME: YOUR FAMILY, June 5]. While I admire Slatalla's concern for her parents, and agree that as one approaches 60 it is wise to make some long-term plans, I hardly think that 58 is the right age at which to talk about a retirement home unless there are some serious health concerns. In this era, when people are living to a healthy and ripe old age, Slatalla is jumping the gun. My 85-year-old mother power-walks two miles each day, drives her car (safely), climbs stairs, does crosswords, reads the daily paper and could probably beat Slatalla at almost anything. NANCY EDWARDS Hardy, Neb.

SENSELESS WAR

The root cause of the unjustified conflicts in Africa, like the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea [WORLD, June 5], is the presence of a bunch of egomaniacal, self-serving and self-appointed rulers. The lack of democratic and accountable government in Africa can lead to massive corruption, misallocation of resources and economic stagnation. The Eritrean and Ethiopian leaders have little understanding of the free market, democracy or human rights. The U.S. should not support Africa's strongmen. ABDULFATAH ABDU Houston

SITUATIONAL ETHICS

In his column about the Arkansas supreme court's recommendation to disbar President Clinton [VIEWPOINT, June 5], Andrew Ferguson compared Bill Clinton with Richard Nixon. This is inappropriate, because Nixon's crimes were crimes against the state, whereas President Clinton's lies (trying to cover up an affair) were of a personal nature. Furthermore, no lawyer in Arkansas has ever had his license to practice law taken away for making false statements. President Clinton should not be treated as if he were above the law, but he is entitled to equal justice under the law. REBA SHIMANSKY New York City