Meth, the new cocaine Meth, the new cocaine (June 14, 2002)

Ecstasy also gaining popularity Ecstasy also gaining popularity (June 14, 2002)

By Bill D'Agostino

Over the last few years, police and drug counselors have seen a change in the habits of drugs users in the Mountain View community. Police Sergeant Derek Sousa said that 90 percent of the drug or drug-related cases they charge are directly associated with methamphetamine, or meth. That's a dramatic shift from just a few years ago, when cocaine was at the top of the list, Sousa said. Recently, a Mountain View man was sentenced to three years in prison for stealing laptops, reportedly to feed a methamphetamine habit. CHAC counselors are also seeing a shift among their clients. Alcohol and marijuana still top the list, but ecstasy (MDMA) is rising fast. Councilor Jack McCrea even believes MDMA might slip ahead of marijuana. Sousa said that ecstasy used by Mountain View kids typically comes to town via San Francisco, where it's popular in raves, or all night dance parties.