Mother urges people to stop taking ecstasy

Catherine Spanevello has a simple, but strong message for people thinking about taking ecstasy.

Don't.

Spanevello lost her daughter Erin to ecstasy. The 21-year-old B.C. model died in 2008 after overdosing on what's been described as the ultimate love drug that brings an exhilarating high, but dire lows and consequences.

"She would walk in a room and the room would light up with her smile," Spanevello said Wednesday at an RCMP news conference in Ottawa.

Police have warned people about the dangers of taking ecstasy, but the message doesn't appear to be getting through. They're hoping the words of a mourning mother will help. She says the recreational drug has triggered a "national crisis."

"I think there are many urban and rural families that still think those drugs are somewhere else — but they're not — they're in our backyards and in our school yards."

Her public warning comes on the heels of several deaths in western Canada related to the popular party drug. Some of the cases are related to tainted batches of ecstasy, containing paramethoxymethamphetamine (PMMA).

PMMA is cheaper than ecstasy (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA) and is cut into the drug for additional profit. PMMA is thought to be five times more lethal than MDMA and its effects can take longer to set in, therefore users will sometimes take more. PMMA has also been given the nickname "Dr. Death" due to its toxicity.

Earlier this month, as the Edmonton Police Service issued its own warning about ecstasy, Det. Guy Pilon noted that "There is no control in the manufacturing of ecstasy nor will the person selling these pills know what the true content is. Even though users are obtaining ecstasy from a perceived reliable dealer, the dealer may not be aware of the contents of the pills he/she is selling."

Some recent ecstasy-related cases include:

• July 2011: A man, 43, died in Calgary. PMMA was found in his system.

• November 26, 2011: A 16-year-old boy died of a suspected ecstasy overdose during a house party in Calgary. Eight others were also taken to hospital after ingesting the drug but were later released.

• December 10, 2011: A man, 38, in Red Deer, Alberta, died after ingesting ecstasy tainted with PMMA.

• December 19, 2011: A 17-year-old girl died of an ecstasy overdose after taking the drug at a sleepover in Abbotsford, B.C. Police say they believe Cheryl McCormack may have taken the drug for weight loss.

• December 31, 2011: A 22-year-old Vancouver woman was hospitalized after taking ecstasy. She died January 6, 2012.

• January 8, 2012: A 22-year-old woman had a bad reaction when she took the drug at a house party in Vancouver. She was taken to hospital, where she died.

• January 15, 2012: Kato Burgess, 16, from Langley, B.C. died after taking ecstasy as well as diphenhydramine, an over-the-counter antihistamine. There was no trace of PMMA in his system.

• January 21, 2012: Cody Gorlick, a 23-year-old student was found dead at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary. PMMA was found in his system.

Also, on January 28, 2012: Four people attending at an electronic music event in Edmonton experienced non-fatal overdoses. Police believe this may have been associated with ecstasy and PMMA.

With files from The Canadian Press and Postmedia News