by Jim Brown
A new national survey finds that half of all American parents do not know about the effects of the dangerous club drug ecstasy.
The study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America reveals that even though ecstasy has increasingly become a favorite drug among teens, only 1% of U.S. parents think their child has tried what some young people call the “hug drug.”
Tom Hedrick, a founding member and director of the Partnership in New York, says although ecstasy brings teenagers euphoria and what they consider a safe high, the drug is a potent mixture of methamphetamine and hallucinogens that can have serious effects on the body.
“The [effects] that concern me the most as a parent are the neuro-toxic effects on the brain and brain cells, and also the building scientific evidence that [those effects] can lead to pretty serious psychological and psychiatric concerns for kids as they get older,” he says.
Hedrick says the known is bad enough, but what is not known about the harmful effects of ecstasy makes the drug a dangerous behavior to try.
What can parents do? According to Hedrick, teens themselves say that that disappointing their parents is one of the most important components of prevention and resisting drugs and alcohol.
“If parents understood how powerful and positive a role they play in their children's decisions about drugs and other behavior like that, they would be more empowered instead of dis-empowered to get involved, to make known their expectations, and to share their concerns and the dangers of these substances with their kids,” he says.
Hedrick says kids who say they have learned about the dangers of drugs from their parents are less than half as likely to try than those who do not.
(This article courtesy of Agape Press.)
