Year: 2000
Type: article
Abstract: The recreational drug ecstasy, also known as “XTC” or“E,” Adam, Clarity, or Essence, is widely used by young people throughout the United States and Western Europe. The drug is an amphetamine derivative, with the pharmacologic name 3,4-methylenedioxymeth-amphetamine(MDMA). Its popularity has been enhanced by its close association with particular forms of music and dance venues and, despite well-publicized casesof MDMA-associated death, by the widely held belief that it is a“safe” drug. Indeed, many users and social commentators believe that with better management, the negative consequences of MDMA use can be avoided.1 This belief is based on the false premise that the danger associated with MDMA lies exclusively with poor control of environmental temperature and“bad” or adulterated drug. The latter risk, it is believed, would be eliminated by better quality control as a result of legalizing the drug. A review of the scientific literature, however, paints a very different picture of this drug, which is far from benign.
Source: Western Journal of Medicine
Author: P. A T Kelly
Institutions: Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1984571028