But that didn't stop the burgeoning illicit market. In fact, some say it may have encouraged it. What's most worrisome, say officials, is that younger and younger Americans are trying it. Today, the use of ecstasy is growing faster than any other illegal drug in the United States, according to the White House drug czar's office. A University of Michigan survey conducted last year indicates that 1.3 million of the nation's students in grades eight through 12 have tried ecstasy at least once and that almost 450,000 students currently use it.
Users like to say the drug is risk free.
The problem is that researchers have yet to definitively determine whether there are any long-term medical ills. Critics of U.S. drug policy grumble that the recent crackdown is little more than a PR stunt designed to make the feds look good to help them wring more money out of Congress. But law enforcement officials aren't taking any chances. It could be worse than cocaine. Giovino worries that the DEA, until now consumed by cracking down on methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin traffic, may have missed crucial early signs.