Ecstasy

Ecstasy became popular in the 1990s, when young people began to participate in all-night dance parties or “raves” that featured widespread use of this drug. The fad has died down somewhat in recent years, but statistics from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) indicate that Ecstasy is still popular in some high schools and colleges.

About Ecstacy

Ecstasy works both as a mind-altering drug like LSD and as a stimulant like amphetamine. Chemically, ecstasy is a synthetic drug, officially known as 3-4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or "MDMA." It is chemically similar to methamphetamine, methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), and mescaline.

Within about 20 minutes of taking ecstasy, a partygoer will feel energetic enough to dance all night. He loses his appetite and a sense of being tired, even as the drug enhances his ability to feel rhythms and musical thoughts. Within about an hour, he feels euphoric and very emotional and affectionate toward others.

Since many other rave attendees feel the same way, the group develops a sense of cohesion. Some people describe it as waves of serenity, affection, and being one with the group. For this reason, ecstasy is called “the love drug.” Since ecstasy does not bring out violence or aggression in people the way alcohol can, it appeals to many women.

The “e culture” developed within many high school and college communities by the late 1990s. The ecstasy/rave craze probably peaked a few years ago, but nonetheless many young people still participate in raves or just use the drug to relax on an everyday level.

According to 2007 NSDUH statistics, about 0.2 percent of people over 12 years old – or 528,000 individuals – used Ecstasy in the month prior to the survey. In 2004, the same survey found that more than 11 million people over 12 years old had tried the drug at least once, and 450,000 had used it in the last month.

Ecstasy & the Law

Ecstasy is a Schedule I substance in the Drug Enforcement Agency's category of drugs. This means that it has been classified as a drug that has no medical uses and a potential for abuse and dependency. It is illegal to possess or supply others with this drug, or to produce, export, or import it. The penalties for violating Ecstasy laws can include $1 million in fines and 20 years in prison.

One Ecstasy pill costs only pennies to make, yet people pay between $20 and $40 for each one on the illegal market.

Ecstasy & the Human Body

One of the greatest dangers of Ecstasy is that the pills are capsules, the kind that can be opened up and altered. Some of the substances frequently found in them are caffeine, animal tranquilizers, LSD, and amphetamine. Users can never be sure that they are getting what they are paying for. A California group called "DanceSafe" found that about 20 percent of Ecstasy pills contain something other than that drug, and 40 percent of the pills are fakes.

People do not necessarily become addicted to Ecstasy, but they can become psychologically dependent upon its effects. Ecstasy has the reputation of being a "happy drug," but the truth is that its effects on the human body can be dangers to the point of being deadly:

• Ecstasy users die from heat strokes, suffocation, too much fluid retention, or heart failures.

• Ecstasy raises the body temperature and blood pressure. The person becomes overheated, especially while dancing frantically, and then goes into convulsions, after experiencing very low blood pressure and a very fast heart rate. This can progress into a deadly heat stroke.

• This drug seems to change the way blood coagulates. If the Ecstasy user's blood coagulates in her lungs, she will die of suffocation.

• People at raves usually carry bottles of water or soft drinks with them, because they understand that they need to stay hydrated in order to avoid heat stroke. However, if an Ecstasy user drinks too much water, he risks problems with his kidneys because Ecstasy causes the human body to retain fluids. The person will experience dizziness and confusion, and then go into a coma, which can lead to death.

• Ecstasy users have also died from heart failure because the drug increases blood pressure and heart rates. Such fatalities are usually people who had an undiagnosed heart condition before they used the drug.

• Ecstasy is a chemical cousin of methamphetamine, which can cause degeneration of the neurons containing dopamine. Such damage causes Parkinson Disease.

Frequent Ecstasy users build up a tolerance to their drug, and need larger amounts to produce desired effects, increasing their danger of brain damage and death. It is particularly dangerous when combined with alcohol or other drugs. In 1992, four people in Scotland died of brain hemorrhages after combining Ecstasy with amphetamines.

Ecstasy is chemically similar to other drugs that are known to cause brain damage. Some research links long-term use of MDMA to damage in the part of the brain that is critical to memory and thought. Seven years after exposing laboratory monkeys to Ecstasy for four days, researchers found that the animals still showed brain damage.

Ecstasy produces the feeling that you are part of a loving group that cares about you. Once the drug wears off, you realize that this was only an artificial effect. The connection you sought with others was not real, and you are left alone again. This feeling eventually causes the person to feel anxious, tired and depressed, leading him to use Ecstasy again. In that way, the person develops a drug dependency.

References
Connolly, Sean. Ecstasy. Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2001.
Bayer, Linda (Phd). Strange Visions. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2000.
Barter, James. Hallucinogens. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2002.