WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 16th – Despite increases in teen Ecstasy use over the past few years, American parents are far less likely to talk with their kids about Ecstasy than any drug -- legal or illegal, according to a national survey released today by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America®.

“Most parents remain surprisingly unfazed, unmotivated and non-responsive to the threat of Ecstasy in America,” said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of The Partnership. “The majority of parents have heard about the risks of using this drug, but few are translating that awareness into preventative action at home.”

Released today, the 2003 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) surveyed 1,228 parents across the country (margin of error = +/- 2.8 percent). Top-line findings of the nationally projectable study¹ show:

• More than nine out of ten parents (92 percent) say they’ve heard about Ecstasy, and nine out of ten (90 percent) see great risk in regular Ecstasy use, yet;
• Only one in four parents (24 percent) say they’ve talked with their children a lot about Ecstasy in the past year; just three percent believe their teenager may have used Ecstasy already;
• 41 percent of parents have never talked with their kids about Ecstasy; and
• Among drugs parents talk with their kids about, Ecstasy was less likely to be discussed than any other drug – illicit or licit.

 “One could conclude, based on these findings, that parents are most comfortable talking about drugs they’re familiar with,” Pasierb said. “Parents know about alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. Some have come across people who’ve used cocaine and harder drugs. But Ecstasy? Parents are shying away from Ecstasy because they don’t truly understand what the drug is, or they truly don’t believe their children are at risk. This is a troubling – and somewhat ironic – situation for today’s parents, the most drug-experienced, drug-savvy cohort of parents to date.”

Chemically known as 3-4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA, Ecstasy is a synthetic, psychoactive drug with amphetamine-like and hallucinogenic properties. Taken orally in pill form, this Schedule I drug can be extremely dangerous, especially in high doses – emergency room episodes involving Ecstasy increased from 253 in 1994 to 4,026 in 2002.² The drug produces an intense and pleasurable high, while putting users at risk of dramatic increases in body temperature, muscle breakdown, and kidney and cardiovascular system failure, as reported in some fatalities.

Last year, The Partnership launched a multi-media education campaign focusing on Ecstasy – the first in the country – in response to a 71 percent jump in teen Ecstasy use between 1999 and 2001. One in nine teenagers in America have now tried Ecstasy at least once. Between 2001-2002, Ecstasy use among teens stabilized at 11 percent, with 2.6 million teens reporting experimenting with the drug. (New data from The Partnership’s teen survey will be released in early 2004.)

“The message about the danger of Ecstasy is beginning to break through to the teen population, but the greater challenge rests with persuading parents about the reality of this drug as it relates to their children,” Pasierb said.

Pasierb announced that The Partnership’s National Ecstasy Education Campaign is now entering its second critical phase. New multi-media campaigns focusing on Ecstasy have been created and will be distributed throughout the country through the organization’s state and local affiliates. Additionally, The Partnership will focus on several major U.S. cities that have been identified as markets with significant Ecstasy problems among youth, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston, Miami, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Denver and Seattle.³ (The Partnership’s Ecstasy campaign will receive added exposure in many of these markets, thanks to a multi-million dollar commitment announced today by Comcast. See next page and related release.)

Too Few Parents Getting “Daily Dose” Of Anti-Drug Messages

The survey released today reports that parents are hungry for information about Ecstasy. More than half of parents (52 percent) say they need additional information on the dangers of the drug. Pasierb said increased visibility of ads addressing Ecstasy could make a tremendous difference. The study released today reports a strong correlation between daily exposure to anti-drug ads and parental action. Parents seeing or hearing anti-drug ads on a daily basis are:

• More likely to have talked with their kids about the risks of drugs four times or more in the past year (52 percent vs. 39 percent); and more likely to say they’ve discussed the issue of drugs thoroughly with their kids (69 percent vs. 49 percent).
• Twice as likely to say ads made them more aware of the risks of drugs (45 percent vs. 23 percent), when compared to parents reporting low exposure, and twice as likely to say ads encouraged them to speak with their kids about drugs (51 percent vs. 25 percent).
• Yet only one in four parents (25 percent) say they are getting a “daily dose” of anti-drug messages.

Comcast, the nation’s largest cable and broadband communications provider, announced today an upfront commitment of $50 million in advertising exposure for Partnership campaigns over the next three years, Pasierb said. (See related news release.) “One of the key advantages of our relationship with Comcast will be the ability to address regional drug threats, like Ecstasy,” he said. “While Ecstasy is a problem nationally, it is an acute problem among teens in certain cities – like Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver and Seattle. Comcast’s local cable systems can help us deliver the right campaigns to the right cities. In other regions, other drugs, such as methamphetamine, are more problematic and will be the focus of our efforts.”

(The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study and additional information on Ecstasy are available on-line at www.drugfreeamerica.org. The Partnership encourages parents to call 1-866-XTC-FACTS for a free brochure on the risks of Ecstasy available in English and Spanish.)

¹ Conducted by RoperASW for The Partnership. Survey of parents in households with children under the age of 19.
²Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies, Emergency Department Trends from the Drug Abuse Warning Network.
³Markets identified through ethnographic reports including the 2002 Drug Abuse Warning Network report, the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s November 2002 Pulse Check and the December 2002 advance report of the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Community Epidemiology Work Group; see insert in press kit.

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The Partnership for a Drug-Free America® is a private, non-profit coalition of professionals from the communications industry. Best known for its national, drug-education advertising campaign, The Partnership exists to help kids and teens reject substance abuse by influencing attitudes through persuasive information. The Partnership’s State/City Alliance Program supports The Partnership’s mission at the local level. The Partnership receives major funding from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and financial support from more than 200 private sector corporations. The Partnership accepts no money from alcohol or tobacco manufacturers. All actors in The Partnership’s ads appear pro bono through the generosity of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.