Ecstasy

For Rs 1,200 per pill, Ecstasy remains a drug primarily abused by the upper class and by those “forced” to pay the high tab due to a developed addiction to the drug. Ecstasy is the street name for the drug “methylenedioxymethamphetamine,” or MDMA for short, and takes the form of a pill. Feelings of increased energy, euphoria, emotional warmth, and distortions in time, have been reported by abusers soon after ingestion.

Ecstasy use is simple; too simple. The small pill of MDMA gives you an intense rush of energy creating an unusually happy or exuberant feeling. The following experiences demonstrate the reaction of two regretful addicts after they tried the drug for the first time.

• “It took about half-an-hour before it had any effect. I thought I had been duped and had been given an aspirin instead. But once it hit I just could not stop dancing.”
• “Your body just keeps doing its own thing. One girl who was a total stranger kept licking my face. My body kept getting all entangled but I just couldn’t sit, I had to keep dancing.”

Ecstasy presents a threat to the brain in that it impairs the function of serotonin. The serotonin system functions primarily to regulate emotion, mood, and feeling. MDMA binds to the chemical’s transporter responsible for the removal of serotonin from the synapse, thus prolonging the feeling evoked by serotonin.

Chronic abusers of ecstasy may experience defects in memory. The primary effects of the drug are confusion, depression, sleep problems, drug craving and severe anxiety. 43% of those reported to use ecstasy have been diagnosed with a chronic dependence on the drug.

MDMA production is minimal in India. The drug’s popularity and potential danger is essentially at the mercy of smugglers. Smugglers transport ecstasy from their respective countries into India, and sell it for huge profits.

The highly “personal” venue in which ecstasy is distributed is extremely difficult to stop completely. Most of the dealing is done via word-of-mouth.

• Increases in heart rate and blood pressure
• Heart disease and problems
• Muscle tension
• Involuntary teeth clenching
• Nausea
• Blurred vision
• Chills or sweating
• The drug can be potentially fatal

• Popping Pills of Ecstasy: http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?203721
• NIDA InfoFacts – MDMA (Ecstasy): http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/ecstasy.html
• Toxic level of ecstasy in system of dead man: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1104/1224307038525.html