A new trend has hit the streets of Ames, leaving behind it a trail of problems.The trend is a new club drug, ecstasy. Police officials in Ames started seeing the drug around the area last fall. Since then, they have seized 300 hits in the area, said Department of Public Safety Capt. John Tinker, manager of the Central Iowa Drug Task Force.All of the busts have been off-campus, but some of them have been student-related, Tinker said.”It will have long-term effects on society if the problem isn’t under control soon,” he said.Ecstasy is relatively new, Tinker said, making its way into the country in the ’90s, and its popularity has grown.”Although it is predominately found on the coast, the Midwest is not immune to it,” Tinker said.Ecstasy appeals to young people, said Ames Police Department Cpl. Jim John. Primary users of the drug are teens and people in their mid-20s.”They use it to stay awake longer and keep partying,” John said, because the drug is a stimulant and keeps users going all night.Often the drug is found at all-night parties called raves. Officials have been aware of raves in Ames and surrounding areas, Tinker said, as well as Des Moines, Omaha, Neb., and Kansas City, Mo.The drug causes users to hallucinate, similar to lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD, Tinker said. Often it’s referred to as the “hug drug” because users get a sense of well-being and it breaks down their inhibitions, Tinker said.Some of the usual side effects are grinding teeth, muscle spasms, an increase in pulse and blood pressure, nausea, headaches and dehydration. There have been times when users have chipped their teeth from grinding them too much, Tinker said.Drinking water and sucking on pacifiers are some of the ways ecstasy users curb side effects. Pacifiers are used to avoid grinding their teeth, Tinker said.Ecstasy can also cause mood swings and changes in personality, he said. A more serious effect is permanent brain damage. Tinker said even after people quit using ecstasy, effects of the drug may remain in the body permanently. Users may not be aware of its effects until later on in life.”A strong user may quit at a young age and not see an effect until the age of 35 or so,” Tinker said.Often it has caused young people to have strokes or seizures. In one Ames case, a young woman was using it and was sent to the hospital with kidney failure, Tinker said.Officials in Ames have seized the drug in both pill form and powder. The drug is odorless, making it difficult for police to detect, John said.”There have been cases that we went for another type of call and found ecstasy,” he said.Ames officials are aware the drug is becoming more popular and are trying to get as much information out about ecstasy as possible to decrease its popularity, Tinker said, adding that there have been 10 to 12 deaths around the country caused by ecstasy.”Education is primary,” he said. “You’re playing Russian Roulette if you are taking this stuff.”