Sample Final Proposal #2

[My annotations are in blue]

Your Name
Mr. Swanson
English 100
Ticket #8142
Final Paper
Date

The Effects of Ecstasy on Teenagers in America

    John used to be an intelligent, talkative, outgoing young man.     He was
doing very well in his first two years of college, and then slowly he just
began to withdraw from school completely.  He used to call his friends all
the time to go out, and he was a lively energetic person who loved to
experience each day to its fullest.  He had dreams and aspirations of
graduating college with a degree in business.  Presently, John doesn't attend
school anymore.  He doesn't talk to any of his old friends, and he doesn't
experience each day to its fullest anymore.  He is not the same person he
used to be and he probably will never be again.  What has happened to him is
the result of the drug called ecstasy otherwise known as MDMA, which stands
for methylenedioxymethamphetamine. This all happened when John was first
introduced into the "rave" scene.  Raves are like never-ending parties that
last anywhere from 5 hours to 12 hours, sometimes even longer.  Raves can be
found in just about all locations across the country and are attended by
large numbers of youth, sometimes up to 20,000 people.  When John attended
his first rave with some of his friends, the mysterious atmosphere and all it
had to offer enthralled him.  It was by far the most exciting thing he had
ever experienced.  The atmosphere was confusing, dark, and mysterious.  It
was full of life, fun, pleasure, and thousands of people his age.   The
colorful hypnotizing lights flew across the walls and ceilings blurring his
vision with every glance.  People were dancing to the entrancing music,
holding on to one another, and having the time of their lives.  A few aspects
that attract people to raves are the hypnotic electronic music, meeting new
people, having fun, and the liberal use of ecstasy.  When John started going
to raves, he eventually began taking ecstasy.  Soon, he became addicted to
both ecstasy and the raves and had the urge to start going every week.  The
dosage of pills he took slowly increased from one pill a month, to six pills
a week.  Eventually, his personality changed and it became hard for him to
concentrate on work, school, and things in general.  It got to the point
where he slept all day and partied all night.  He didn't care about his life,
school or aspirations anymore; all he cared about was the raves, his "raver"
friends, and ecstasy.

    Ecstasy is one of the most popular fastest growing drugs in America
today.  It is easily accessible to teenagers and has grown to be very common
not only among teens in the rave scene, but also suburbs and campuses. 
Ecstasy has the reputation of being a "safe drug" that brings few side
effects.  It is also commonly used because users only have to swallow a
simple pill, rather than snort a line or inject a dose.  It is often used at
raves and parties because it enables people to dance longer and remain active
for a longer period of time.  The hypnotizing effect it produces causes many
to become easily addicted and drawn to the drug.  There have also been many
fatalities in which ecstasy has been involved.  The University of Psychiatry
is Zurich, Switzerland, has done research that shows that ecstasy releases
dopamine and other chemicals into the system, and causes the feelings of
"good moods" and emotional excitation (National Library of Public Medicine). 
People who have taken ecstasy report feelings of intimacy, euphoria,
well-being, and empathy.  There have also been studies from the Human
Neurological Pathology Laboratory in Toronto, Canada, which show that levels
of seratonin and ketamine were decreased by 50-80% in the brain, which is
responsible for much of the brain's memory (National Library of Public
Medicine).  Ecstasy use has become very much widespread, and John is one out
of many teens that is experiencing this growing social problem.

    One of the causes to this growing problem is the lack of knowledge of
this drug.  Very many people are unaware of ecstasy and many never knew it
has been existent for so long.  This drug was developed and patented in 1912
by the Merck Corporation.  In the 1970's it was used in therapy in which to
create a "psychologically safe environment in which patients could explore
traumatic feelings or memories," said Professor Phillip Jenkins of
Pennsylvania State University, and also author of "Synthetic Panics." 
Professor Philip Jenkins testified recently before a Congressional committee
and said the drug developed "a politically damaging reputation for giving
pleasure" (Time.com).  And that is exactly what it has done.

    Ecstasy and its reputation of being a safe drug has spread like wildfire
among the teenagers of America today.  This reputation has sustained for so
long because of the lack of knowledge of ecstasy among people today.  Many
teenagers, parents, doctors, and counselors are unaware of the fatal effects
and consequences of ecstasy, and all of these people minus teenagers are very
much oblivious at how widespread ecstasy has become.  In schools across
America, there are lectures and teachings about drugs like marijuana,
cocaine, and nicotine.  But very seldom does a teacher lecture about the
dangers and facts of ecstasy.  Many teens are bound to go through life with
an unknown idea of ecstasy.  Then, when they later come upon it at a party or
from a friend, they may try it as the possible result of not knowing about
it, and also thinking that it is "safe" since they were never lectured on it
in the past.  Barry McCaffrey, the director of the U.S. National Drug Control
Policy says that, "Many elements of society -- including parents, teachers,
and some police officers -- do not understand the dangers of MDMA and other
"club drugs" (Time.com).  Emergency room records show that ecstasy use among
young patients have increased many times during the past year.  Parents are
probably one of the most important figures in children's lives, and many are
in the dark about this drug.  Many parents today worry about their children
getting involved with alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and such.  But many do
not realize that ecstasy is very much prevalent almost everywhere and that
many teens are both experimenting and using it. 

    For the longest time, America has always turned to medicine and drugs for
relief and help.  I believe that if America is not at least drug-oriented it
is drug-friendly.  Everyday, almost everyone from children to seniors take
various pills like painkillers, vitamin supplements, and medication.  Since
people are quite comfortable with ingesting pills, ecstasy would be no
problem to ingest at all to them.  I think this is a large factor that
contributes to the use of ecstasy.

    Perhaps another cause of this problem is raves.  Raves themselves are not a
danger to our society, but it is the content and environment that is present
that could be a danger.  Raves are where many teens first learn about ecstasy
and also where many first try it.  It is very easy for an underage minor to
get into a rave, and even easier for he or she to purchase ecstasy.  There
are some cases where teens can acquire ecstasy easier than doctors.  What
goes on at these raves are very influential to many teens today.  The
environment provides a night of fantasy, mystery, fun, and excitement.  And
since large portions of the ravers are under the influence of ecstasy, it
probably can be perceived as a happy environment by many partygoers.  The
Office of the National Drug Control Policy says that "producing both
stimulant and psychedelic effects, MDMA is often used at parties because it
enables party-goers to dance and remain active for longer periods of time"
(ONDCP).  This is one of the reasons for ecstasy being popular at raves. 
Another reason is that it has been a long tradition for raves to be linked to
ecstasy.  When you ask many teens about raves, they automatically think of
ecstasy, and many of these same teens go to raves mainly because of the
presence of ecstasy.  Ecstasy at raves is very easy to obtain.  I myself have
been to a few and have been encountered by ecstasy dealers.  I was approached
almost every 20 minutes by someone who was looking for buyers.  Not only did
people who were selling approach me, but I was also approached by people who
were looking to buy.  Many of these people were very young, and most looked
underage.

    I believe that another important cause that contributes to this problem
is the producing of ecstasy in overseas countries.  Ecstasy is easily made,
for pennies on the dollar, and most of it is made in Europe.  Time magazine
reports that a recent drug seizure at Brussels National Airport, "offered a
glimpse at just how huge and lucrative the export market has become for
ecstasy, most of which is produced in the Netherlands, and Belgium"
(Time.com).  Nationwide, ecstasy seizures this year (almost 3.3 million hits)
have increased since last year (400,000 hits).  Due to the increasing amounts
of ecstasy coming into the U.S., the Customs Service has found the need to
create a special ecstasy command center and is training dogs to detect the
drug (Time.com).

    Ecstasy can be produced from anywhere form a rundown barn in the country,
to a high scale expensive laboratory.  Usually, manufacturers seek out
abandoned barns or garden sheds in rural areas of the Netherlands or Belgium,
and convert them into ecstasy factories.  Most often, these small factories
are not too far from the airports.  The people that usually manufacture
ecstasy are professional criminals, who usually work with mobsters who have
the distribution networks to move large amounts of pills across America. 
These people are highly drawn to the large profits: after setup, the cost of
each pill for as little as 5 cents, and then it can be sold in New York or
Los Angeles for upwards of $45.  Whatever the case may be, all this just goes
to show that the drug production in Europe and other areas is involving and
risking the lives of the teenagers of America.

    Ecstasy's reputation has many factors to it besides it being "safe". 
There are very many influences present that are also responsible for the
reputation of ecstasy and its widespread use.  For example, there are many
websites on the Internet that are run by both young and older people in which
promote the use of ecstasy and praise its effects.  After doing some
searching on the Internet, I even found quite a few sites that offer
information on how to create a lab and the instructions on how to make
ecstasy at home.  The use of ecstasy has invaded music today as well.  There
is a song from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony that raps about the "good" feelings of
ecstasy.  It just goes to show big and realistic this problem has come to be.
The website of the Office of National Drug Control Policy says that among
high school students surveyed in 1999, 5.6% of 12th graders, 4.4% of 10th
graders, and 1.7% of 8th graders have used ecstasy in the past year.  6.8% of
college students and 7.2% of young people ages 19-28 surveyed in 1998
reported that they have used ecstasy at least once in their lives. 

    According to the 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 3.4 million
people have reported using ecstasy at least once in their lives, and the
greatest numbers of users were in the age range of 18-24 (ONDCP).  The site
reports that using ecstasy can cause serious psychological and physical
damage.  The psychological effects that can occur are confusion, depression,
anxiety, and paranoia.  These effects can last a few weeks after ingesting
ecstasy.  The physical effects that can occur is muscle breakdown, kidney and
cardiovascular failure, increases in heart rate and blood pressure and
dehydration.  There is recent research findings that show that ecstasy use
can cause long-term damage to parts of the brain that are critical to thought
and memory.

    "Ecstasy, the amphetamine-like drug made popular by "raves" and other
mass dancing events, can severely deplete levels of a brain chemical linked
with mood", reports an article posted on the CNN News website.  The article
says a 26-year-old man who died of a drug overdose had very low levels of
serotonin in his brain (CNN.com).  Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter
linked to mood, appetite, sleep, and emotions.  This man had reportedly been
using ecstasy for nine years.  "This is the first study to show that this
drug can deplete the levels of serotonin in humans," says Stephen Kish of the
Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada.  "The levels of
serotonin and another chemical associated with serotonin were 50 to 80
percent lower in the brain of the ecstasy user" (CNN.com).  Ecstasy is
related to the hallucinogen mescaline and the stimulant amphetamine, and
causes neurons in the brain to release serotonin.  Kish adds that some of the
behavioral effects of ecstasy are due to the massive release and depletion of
serotonin, and that the depression people feel after the drug wears off could
be explained by the depletion of serotonin in the brain.

    I had an interview with a friend named Mike who wishes for his identity to
remain anonymous.  Mike has been in the rave scene for about 3 years and has
also taken ecstasy for many times.  He started raving at the age of 19 and
still raves once in a while today.  When he started raving, he was new to the
environment and to the drug ecstasy.  He says that almost everyone at the
raves was on ecstasy and he soon experimented with the drug.  He heard that
ecstasy made you feel "good" and that its effects were harmless.  Soon he
started raving every week, and every week he took ecstasy.  His dosage
started from about two pills a month to about 3 pills taken at every rave. 
He says that ecstasy made him feel peaceful, relaxed, loving, and good.  It
made him feel like he loved everyone and just made warm emotions flow through
his body.  He said that when you take ecstasy, your body is sensitive to the
touch.  This is the reason for everyone always hugging and massaging each
other at raves.  "It's a feeling that no other drug I've tried can produce,"
says one of Mike's friends.  Mike confirmed my opinion that ecstasy is
growing fast and is used by many teens across America.  "I traveled to New
Jersey and New York last year, and raves and ecstasy are very big over
there," says Mike.  We discussed the topic of ecstasy being sold to minors at
raves and parties.  He says that many minors can sneak into raves and clubs
easily and can obtain ecstasy effortlessly.  In fact, he's seen it happen all
the time.  At the event of every large rave, it is almost guaranteed that an
incident involving ecstasy will occur.  At one rave about 6 months ago in Los
Angeles, a sexual assault occurred and a couple of fights.  These things are
typical of a rave and usually the people involved are under the influence of
drugs, most predominantly ecstasy.  Mike tells me that he currently has
stopped taking ecstasy due to health reasons.  About a year ago, he came to
the realization that he and his friends were going nowhere in life.  He
realized that he was not the same person he used to be.  It became hard for
him to remember things, and think quickly, and the all night raving and
partying burnt him out.  One of his close friends was hospitalized last year
due to an ecstasy overdose.  Doctors that treated his friend say that he
suffered permanent brain damage.  I asked him if he thought ecstasy was a
danger to teens today and if something should be done.  He says, "I do
believe that ecstasy is a growing danger to many people at this time, and
something has to be done, seeing my friends throw their lives away because of
this stupid drug has made me realize that one night of fun and feeling good
is just not worth it."

    To get the serious problem of ecstasy use among teenagers under control,
I feel we need to enlist the help of parents and adults that are involved
with children and teens, and work with international governments in Europe or
other areas to help crack down on the manufacturing of ecstasy.  This is a
serious problem that is growing by the day and most people are not even aware
of it.  Most of these people are parents and teachers who are most
responsible for the education and knowledge of children today.  Information
and dangerous effects of this drug should be taught in schools and provided
at hospitals, and medical clinics.  Just as there are people that visit
certain schools and functions to talk about STD's, and drugs like marijuana
and cocaine, there should be people that come to these schools to teach and
inform about ecstasy.  Moreover, our government should obtain the cooperation
of Europe's government to work together to shut down these ecstasy factories.

    Evidently, these are the places where ecstasy starts, why not just end it at
the source?

    In addition to my proposed solution above, I'd like to add something that
would be most important of all.  I believe that the government should enforce
the law on the illegal using and selling of ecstasy.  The current penalty for
the possession of ecstasy is fairly light.  The Bureau for International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs states that "A person convicted of
possessing a personal use amount of MDMA in California faces a maximum of 1
year in the county jail or state prison.  It is almost unheard of for a judge
to actually impose such a harsh sentence.  If the person meets six criteria
the prosecutor is required to refer the case to Diversion"

(Cognitiveliberty.org).  The six criteria for Diversion are:

(1) The defendant has no conviction for any offense involving controlled
substance prior to the alleged commission of the charged offense.

(2) The offense charged did not involve a crime of violence or threatened
violence.

(3) There is no evidence of a violation relating to narcotics or restricted
dangerous drugs other than a violation of the sections listed in this
subdivision.

(4) The defendant's record does not indicate that probation or parole has
ever been revoked without thereafter being completed.

(5) The defendant's record does not indicate that he or she has successfully
completed or been terminated from diversion or deferred entry of judgement
pursuant to this chapter within five years prior to the alleged commission of
the charged offense.

(6) The defendant has no prior felony conviction within five years prior to
the alleged commission of the charged offense.

    If the person is eligible for Diversion they are able to enter a conditional
plea of guilty and if they then successfully complete the diversion program
(usually "drug education" classes) the plea is set aside. This means that
they do not receive a criminal record (Cognitiveliberty.org).  As you can
see, getting caught with the possession of ecstasy is seen as not serious and
the penalty is not harsh at all.

    The penalty for possession of ecstasy with intent to sell is a state
prison term of 16 months to three years.  But this is not what bothers me;
ecstasy's legal status is quite odd.  The Bureau for International Narcotics
and Law Enforcement Affairs says, "MDMA is not an explicitly scheduled
substance.  Rather, prosecutors treat MDMA as a "controlled substance
analog"- a drug that is "substantially similar" in chemical structure to the
drug MDA (which is explicitly scheduled).  If the prosecutor succeeds in
proving this, then the MDMA is treated just like MDA- a Schedule I controlled
substance" (Cognitiveliberty.org).  This statement basically means that
ecstasy is seen and treated as a controlled substance, and that it is not
treated like heroin, cocaine, or marijuana.  All this leads me to believe
that the government and people still see this drug epidemic as minor and not
serious.

    One of my solutions to this drug problem stated earlier was that our
government should collaborate with other governments overseas to help stop
this problem.  Although this is proposed as a solution, it could be very
expensive and time consuming.  Many people would probably agree that
America's economy isn't doing very well at the moment and the government has
many other important issues to address.  There has been the ongoing conflict
with America and Israel recently, the expensive presidential elections that
have led to trials, and many other world issues.  All of these issues are
very important and understandably, must be taken care of as soon as possible.

    As the government of America, they are seen as the protectors of our
citizens.  People with high powers are looked up to by many, and probably
seen as intelligent and quick with dealing political issues.  These people
were probably teenagers once and had aspirations of becoming a top elected
official or working with the government, etc.  What about our teens today? 
They are our adults of tomorrow.  They are our America tomorrow.  With the
ongoing use of ecstasy, there could be serious chances of long-term brain
damage. 

    There are people and organizations such as the ONDCP that are trying to keep
ecstasy illegal and help stop this problem from growing.  But then there are
some people who are trying to legalize ecstasy for the use of therapy. 
Earlier, I stated that ecstasy was used for therapy is the early 1970's.  It
tends help bring out traumatic feelings and emotions in people that they have
hidden for so long.  One couple, by the name of Sue and Shane Stevens, used
it to save their marriage.  Shane had cancer, and it was a topic that he had
avoided for years.  Their marriage became almost unbearable, consisting of
arguments all of the time, and bad communication.  It got to the point where
they just wanted to avoid each other.  A friend of theirs recommended that
they try ecstasy and said that therapists used it 20 years ago to get people
to talk about difficult subjects.  Sue and Shane decided to try it to help
save their marriage.  Sue reports afterwards that having that session with
Shane was the best thing that they did, and in those few hours of being with
him was equal to two years with him.  The session opened up many hurtful
feelings and traumatic experiences; they talked about his cancer and their
love for each other that they had hidden for so long.  The ecstasy had helped
them save their marriage and love for each other (MTV).

    For about 15 years, Rick Doblin, the founder of Multidisciplinary Association
for Psychedelic Studies, is known as the world's most enthusiastic advocate
of therapeutic MDMA use.  He believes that the drug has special qualities
that can help people sense their inner selves and the world, and also lead
them to their inner truths.  Doblin currently is fighting for ecstasy to be
legalized as limited legal use.  This means that he wants it to be legalized
for medicinal purposes.  His organization will help fund the first approved
study of ecstasy in psychotherapy, involving patients with post-traumatic
stress disorder (Time.com).

    Sure, ecstasy has its good side in which it helps people in therapy.  But I
believe that there are other methods and ways to get patients to reveal their
inner selves and true feelings.  Many psychologists and therapists do that in
their sessions with patients.  They help their patients reach their own
sub-conscious areas of their minds to talk about difficult topics. Some
people today use marijuana for medical reasons, if ecstasy reaches the point
of legalization, what is the next drug that is going to be legalized? 
Ecstasy is a dangerous drug, and definitely should not be legalized for any
reasons.

    After obtaining all the research for this project, I strongly believe
that ecstasy is taking over the lives of many teens of America and many
people remain unknowing of this problem.  A definite fight for a stronger
penalty is called for, and also the collaboration of the governments in
Europe.  This doesn't only call for the U.S. government's participation, but
also the help of governments worldwide.  This problem starts in the lab of an
ecstasy maker and it should stop right there.  Moreover, adults such as
parents and teachers should be more informed of the dangers of this drug so
they can better educate their children.  A recent news report on KTLA news
stated that ecstasy is no longer a problem anymore is America; it has become
an epidemic, much larger than our marijuana problem (KTLA).

    Whatever side of this issue you choose, it must be kept in mind that the
minds and lives of our young people of America are irreplaceable.  Yes, our
government does have many problems that are critical, and yes these solutions
will require a lot of funding.  But I believe that we need to do whatever is
possible to protect these young lives and put an end to this increasing
epidemic.  This problem is very real, and without more efforts to help, the
lives of the many young people of America can and will be in great danger. 
The young people of America today are the adults of America tomorrow, how can
our nation go on without the bright intelligent minds that we are losing to
ecstasy right now?

Works Cited

CNN.COM.  "U.S. Government Launches Anti-Ecstasy Campaign" August 2, 2000
http://www.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/children/08/02/ecstasy.campaign/ (25 October
2000).

CNN.COM  "Ecstasy Use Depletes Brain Chemical, Study Finds" July 25,2000
http://www.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/07/25/ecstasy.brain.reut/index.html (25
October 2000).

S, Mike.  Personal Interview.  27 October 2000.

Cognitiveliberty.org "Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Affairs" April 20, 2000
http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/lawlibrary/cal_mdma_punishment.htm (8
December 2000).

MTV "I'm on Ecstasy" (3 December 2000).

National Library of Public Medicine.  "Psychological and Physiological
Effects of MDMA ("Ecstasy") After Pretreatment with the 5-HT (2) Antagonist
Ketaserin in Healthy Humans" October 23, 2000
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10989266&dopt=Abstract> (28 October 2000).

National Library of Public Medicine.  "Striatal Serotonin is depleted in
Brain of a Human MDMD User" July 25, 2000
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10908909&dopt=Abstract> (25 October 2000).

Office of the National Drug Control Policy.  "Club Drugs"
Facts and Figures
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/f_and_f/club/index.html  (25 October 2000).

Time.Com "The Lure of Ecstasy" June 5, 2000
http://www.pathfinder.com/time/magazine/articles/0,3266,40317,00.html (8
December 2000).

Time.com "Its all the Rave" March 20, 2000
http://www.pathfinder.com/time/magazine/articles/0,3266,40316,00.html (24
October 2000).

Updated:  23 September 2005