Let's begin our examination of ecstasy or Methylenedioxymethamphetamine where all things start; in the beginning. Believe it or not Ecstasy or MDMA has been around since 1914. It's first recorded use was as an appetite suppressant. Ecstasy went largely ignored until the 1960's. During the 60's and up until 1985 MDMA was being used by psychiatrists to help treat certain emotional and psychological problems.
During the 60's is also when the first reports of recreational use of MDMA were reported. .
our legal system treats E like Heroin, Cocaine, and LSD. The penalties for manufacture, delivery and possession are harsh and can include fines up to $100,000.00 and life in prison. Of course the amount of pills you get busted with and the context of the situation plays a big part in sentencing. The fact remains though that getting caught with even small amounts of E can end up really costing you. E cannot be detected in your urine after four days.
While I was preparing myself for this article I was shocked to find all the harmful effects that Ecstasy has on the body. I had been under the misguided impression that E wasn't that hard on the body. What shocked me the most is the effect E has on the brain. In the June 15 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience the results of a John Hopkins University study were published. The study was done on the effects of MDMA on Red Squirrel Monkeys. It proved that E causes long lasting damage to brain areas critical for thought and memory. These findings helped to validate an earlier study by John Hopkins University concerning MDMA and humans. That study showed people who had taken E scored lower on memory tests. During the tests on the Red Squirrel Monkeys it was proven that the brain's serotonin system is damaged by ecstasy. So what happens is that the neurons in the brain that control conscious thought and long term memory are severely damaged. This damage occurs just after a few doses of MDMA and appears to be very long lasting and may even be permanent.