The Drug to End all Drugs, MDMA
This is a common phrase heard among many people between the ages of 16 and 27. When they say "roll", they are not referring to a drive in the car or going on a roller coaster; they are talking about the designer drug MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine), more commonly known as ecstasy. Ecstasy is the most common designer drug on the market. We must protect our children and help them to learn about the dangerous effects of drugs. The abuse of the drug starts at drug scene parties called "raves" and then leads to physical and psychological effects. These three points catalogue all the problems with the designer drug scene. Ecstasy's chemical name is 3, 4, methylenedioxymethamphetamine. "Other nicknames for this drug include 'X', 'E', 'X-TC', 'Adam', 'clarity', 'essence', 'lover's speed', and 'Stacy' (Connelly, 18). It is a derivation of methamphetamine and amphetamine. MDMA was first formulated "in 1914 by Merck and Co. as an appetite suppressant. It was thereafter the subject of experiments by the Army and chic psychotherapists, especially those dealing with battling marriage partners, before reaching the American 'abuser' around 1981" (Tyler, 248). Ecstasy is a synthetic drug that
1. Connelly, Elizabeth Russell. Psychological Disorders Related to Designer Drugs: New York, New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2000. The physical effects of ecstasy often and almost always lead to psychological damage in its users. Ecstasy depletes a very important chemical in the brain, serotonin, which affects mood, sleeping and eating habits, thinking processes, aggressive behavior, sexual function, and sensitivity to pain. Abnormal levels of serotonin may contribute to depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (Weiten, 81). "Rats given MDMA showed prolonged reductions in the concentration of brain serotonin" (NIDA Research, 307). While one-time users usually distort their serotonin levels only temporarily, heavy users may be risking brain damage that remains long after the high has worn off. If the brain can't compensate for the changes caused by the drug, the long-term effects could include increased aggression, severe depression or even suicide.
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Approximate Word count = 921
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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