Ecstasy

Dates

100

What year was Ecstasy created and by whom?

Ecstasy was originally developed by Merck pharmaceutical company in 1912.

200

Why was ecstasy used in 1953?

It was used in 1953 by the US Army in psychological warfare tests

300

What year was ecstasy being promoted as “the hottest thing in the continuing search for happiness through chemistry,” and the “in drug” for many weekend parties???

By the early 1980s

400

Was it still legal in 1984?

Still legal in 1984, MDMA was being sold under the brand name “Ecstasy,”

500

What year was Ecstasy banned?

1988

Effects

100

How long until the person ingests the pill do they begin to feel the effects?

20 to 40 minutes

200

How long can users feel its effect?

6 hours

300

After taking the drug, up to how long can you feel burned out and why?

Users can feel "cracked-out" (drained, burned-out) for up to 2 days later, due to the heavy loss of serotonin and the great strain that the drug causes on the user's body.4

400

Name three short term effects of Ecstasy?

• Muscle tension • Heightened senses • Hallucinations • Euphoria • Empathy for others/emotional warmth • Anxiety or paranoia • Involuntary teeth or jaw clenching • Nausea • Extreme relaxation • Severe dehydration (especially when mixed with alcohol) • Heat exhaustion

500

Name five long term effects of Ecstasy

• Confusion • Depression • Sleep problems • Drug craving • Severe anxiety • Paranoia • Possible depletion of serotonin and memory. 5 • Death

Miscellaneous

100

What may a dealer tell you to make it appear okay to take drugs?

They will approach you as a friend and offer to “help you out” with “something to bring you up.” The drug will “help you fit in” or “make you cool.” Drug dealers, motivated by the profits they make, will say anything to get you to buy their drugs. They will tell you that if you take Ecstasy, “you can be with a lot of girls.” They don’t care if the drugs ruin your life as long as they are getting paid. All they care about is money. Former dealers have admitted they saw their buyers as “pawns in a chess game.”

200

Name three street names for the drug?

Adam Cadillac Beans California Sunrise Clarity E Essence Elephants Eve Hug Hug Drug Love Drug Love pill Lover’s speed Roll Scooby snacks

300

Ecstasy may be mixed with what?

While MDMA itself can produce harmful effects, what is called Ecstasy today can contain a wide mixture of substances—from LSD, cocaine, heroin, amphetamine, and methamphetamine, to rat poison, caffeine, dog deworming substances, etc.

400

Name the Methods of Ingestion?

Methods of Use Ecstasy is most often available in tablet form and is usually ingested orally, although some users have reported taking it anally (known as "plugging" or "shafting"). Users have also been known to "parachute" the tablet, by placing the pill in a napkin, crushing it, and then swallowing the piece of napkin in an attempt to speed up the drug's onset. MDMA is also available in powder form, often contained in geltabs, and is sometimes snorted and occasionally smoked, but rarely injected.

500

How can people die from ecstasy?

Young people have died from dehydration, exhaustion and heart attack as a result of taking too much Ecstasy.

Stimulant

100

Describe what a stimulant means??

Stimulants are a class of drugs that elevate mood, increase feelings of well-being, and increase energy and alertness. Stimulants can cause the heart to beat faster and will also cause blood pressure and breathing to elevate. Repeated use of stimulants can result in paranoia and hostility.

200

Describe what a hallucinogen?

Hallucinogens are drugs which cause altered perception and feeling. Hallucinogens have powerful mind-altering effects and can change how the brain perceives time, everyday reality, and the surrounding environment. They affect regions of the brain that are responsible for coordination, thought processes, hearing, and sight. They can cause people to hear voices, see things, and feel sensations that do not exist.

300

What are the four drug categories?

Stimulants, Hallucinogens, Opioids and Depressant

400

Why do people take drugs? Name four reasons why.

• To fit in • To escape or relax • To relieve boredom • To seem grown up • To rebel • To experiment

500

Name the 4 Dangers we discussed:

DANGERS DANGER NO. 1: By 1995, less than 10% of Ecstasy pills on the market were pure MDMA. Today’s Ecstasy user is usually taking a mix of a wide variety of drugs, and often toxic substances. DANGER NO. 2: One has to continually increase the amount of the drug one takes in order to feel the same effects. Users say the effect of Ecstasy is greatly reduced after the first dose. And as a person takes more of the drug, the negative effects also increase. Because the desired effect from using the drug diminishes, a person often then tries other drugs that are even more dangerous. DANGER NO. 3: Users feel there is sometimes a need to use other drugs such as heroin or cocaine to help cope with the mental and physical pain that results after one “comes down” from Ecstasy; 92% of those who take Ecstasy also abuse other, even harder drugs. DANGER NO. 4: The false idea that a person only feels good with Ecstasy leads to a desire to take it more often than just at raves and techno parties; like other stimulant drugs, people continue to take Ecstasy, despite experiencing unpleasant effects.