Are they the same? Okay, how about this. I'll post you my college freshmen mid-term essay (a research paper). It is actually about legal standings, but it incorporates classic differences for those who are "in the grey", so to speak.
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Title: Hasty Generalization About A 鈥淐lub-Drug鈥?Sensation?
Everyone knows what 鈥渆cstasy鈥?is 鈥?schools have been increasingly teaching of its 鈥榙angers鈥?during the past two decades. However, these 鈥渁nti-drug鈥?curriculums do not mention anything about the great ongoing controversy about the pure form of this substance and its possible medical applications. In fact, they do not even so as mention that there is a difference between pure and non-pure forms. 3-,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) 鈥?the pure, synthetic compound 鈥?has been publicly condemned by zealous anti-drug advocates as a 鈥渟treet drug鈥? and the law has followed suit. Their campaigns leave no room for question or consideration 鈥?God forbid, were MDMA to be referred to as a medicine. Ignorance justifies nothing. Rather than just legally writing off MDMA as some dangerous 鈥渃lub drug鈥? the law ought to allow it, medically, under specific guidelines and in a controlled environment.
There are, in fact, many potential medical applications of MDMA 鈥?most of which are not given a chance because of the laws intervening with studies. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is one condition that is believed to benefit most from a medicine such as MDMA 鈥?which allows them to open up to therapists and psychiatrists. Psychotherapy sessions 鈥?which are small groups of patients with psychiatric disorders, conducted by therapists 鈥?is another circumstance in which medically administered methylenedioxymethamphetamine may prove to be beneficial. It is, furthermore, a promising substitute for many of the current anti-depressants prescribed today (http://proquest.umi.com). These are merely the factual examples of uses 鈥?the 鈥渉ow鈥?and 鈥渨hy鈥?will be explained later.
The key thing that blocks the road for studies and scientific advancement in MDMA is the law. To cut down a tree, one must start near the roots 鈥?so it is helpful to look at the deemed 鈥渟ubstantial鈥?evidence used to pass these laws. The initial set 鈥渢ests鈥?done on 3-,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, conducted in the 1980鈥檚 primarily to achieve the outright legal ban of the chemical, were biased and inconclusive at best. In a study called Acute Physical and Neurophysiological Effects of MDMA In Humans, it is observed that 鈥淲hen we started out research with MDMA, most reports available on its psychological effects were retrospective, anecdotal, and lacked drug and dose identification鈥?(http://www.heffter.org). Lacked drug and dose identification? That, in and of itself, is no small fallacy. It fails to properly confirm the consistency of the data results from the 鈥渆xperiments鈥? They go on to say that 鈥溾€cstasy tablets sold for recreational use often contain other psychoactive compounds so that their effects cannot be reliably ascribed to MDMA alone鈥?(http://www.heffter.org). So, in effect, because the illegal substance is considered dangerous, therefore the former must be as well? That is a serious logical error. For example: If one were to see a brown dog, it would be foolish to assume that anything brown is a dog. Furthermore, in a study called Neurochemical and Neurohistological Alterations in the Rat and Monkey Produced by Orally Administered Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), experts report that 鈥淚n recent reports, investigators have suggested that MDMA produces acute neurotoxicity when administered by subcutaneous injection鈥?(http://www.drugtext.org). It further goes on to say 鈥淭he repeated doses of MDMA (40 and 80 mg/kg) used in these rodent studies are approximately 15 to 30 times the usual human oral MDMA dose鈥︹€?(http://www.drugtext.org). These were also administered once daily for 28 days, in this case. This is outrageous and downright tampering with experiment methods to achieve a desired hypothesis. Overdosing rats with methylenedioxymethamphetamine every day for a month is sure to cause neurotransmitter damage 鈥?this is true with anything! For example, consider the drug hydromorphone, stronger than the street-drug heroin (opiate derivative). It is an opioid agonist, and is the strongest and most addictive painkiller legally prescribed by doctors 鈥?reserved specifically for intense, chronic pain, and in very monitored and limited dosages. Were one to be intravenously administered about 10 grams of hydromorphone, they would have a circulatory collapse and go into cardiac arrest. Similarly, if one were to ingest, orally, 5 economy-sized bottles of the OTC drug ibuprofen, they are very prone to gastrointestinal bleeding and even cardiac arrest. But yet these drugs are still marketed 鈥?why? 鈥?because they are proven effective in moderation. If the law will make medical exceptions for drugs as, or more, potent and physically addicting as semi-synthetic opioids like diacetylmorphine (street 鈥渉eroin鈥?, then it is a dire injustice, to the whole of the drug research teams, to exclude MDMA from the extent of its 鈥済race鈥?
In the case of MDMA and determining medical legalization, one must open-mindedly consider the possible gains there are to be had in terms of treating those patients suffering from the anti-social disorders mentioned earlier. Eve Conant, reporter for Newsweek, interviewed principal psychiatrist Michael Mithoefer, MD on the topic of MDMA as opposed to currently available antidepressants. Mithoefer remarked, 鈥淥ur hypothesis is that MDMA lowers fear and increases trust, a combination that allows patients to revisit trauma in a therapeutic way.鈥?Eve also reports, 鈥淎ntidepressants are the conventional treatment for PTSD, but they can take weeks to start working鈥?(http://proquest.umi.com). MDMA, on the other hand, has a much quicker onset and lasts for a few short hours 鈥?making it a very useful tool for facilitating productive psychotherapy sessions with patients. For clarification, examine an interview of director Rick Doblin of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, conducted by reporter Carla Spartos of the online news page VillageVoice. Doblin tells her, 鈥淭hink of [MDMA] as Prozac plus鈥?(http://ww.villagevoice.com). Prozac is an antidepressant that has been on the market for decades now. It increases serotonin release, which is regulated by the brain鈥檚 5-HT neurotransmitters. Serotonin is the brain鈥檚 way of letting the body know 鈥淗ey, you鈥檙e feeling good right now鈥? The potential is certainly there for the use of MDMA in psychotherapeutic methods. The ruling is now left up to a judge 鈥?one wearing a black garb of justice rather than a white lab coat.
鈥淲hat of all the 鈥榓nti-ecstasy鈥?sermons preached about in schools and offices today?鈥?one may ask. Based on the information that is given to the average person in regards to the drug, this is a rational and sensible question. Indeed, 鈥榚cstasy鈥?was 鈥溾€irst banned by the DEA in 1985 鈥?Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act鈥?(Jacobson 19). It was also written off under the generalization of 鈥渄esigner drugs鈥?鈥?which were condemned, as a group, under the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. In this group were 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine along with a few of its chemical cousins (MDA, MDE), and eleven forms of synthetic heroin. But, what the law and FDA accidentally 鈥?or intentionally 鈥?ignored was the real distinctions between drugs and their street forms. In this case, it was MDMA. To better understand why one would want to permit medical use of such a dangerous drug, one must be informed of the difference between MDMA, and 鈥榚cstasy鈥? 鈥楨cstasy鈥?is a term coined to describe a drug abused by the general public for recreational use. 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine is NOT 鈥榚cstasy鈥? The pure MDMA yield developed in established laboratories, under the proper scientific procedure, has properties different than that of its counterpart fashioned in makeshift labs under not so "strict" conditions. 鈥楽treet鈥?MDMA, or 鈥榚cstasy鈥?- is yielded under a different range of methods. The individuals who make this kind do so under harsher environments, improvising certain scientific processes to produce a "close-enough" result. These are typically average individuals with at least some understanding of the basic principles of organic chemistry. Because their motives are often based on financial gain, they are not always trustworthy in their methods of manufacturing - often cutting corners, even excluding or substituting key ingredients for "bunk" (non-reactive) substances. Furthermore, the range of adulterants found in illegally cooked batches, seized by police, are astonishing. Looking back at the Acute Physical and Neurophysiological Effects of MDMA In Humans, the researchers observe that 鈥溾€ills sold under this name show a large variability in composition and often contain other psychoactive substances鈥︹€?(http://www.heffter.org) The pure, synthetic MDMA compound does not incorporate extraneous mood-altering adulterants. In the illegally produced 鈥榚cstasy鈥? other chemical agents are often added to enhance effects felt by the user. These include 鈥?but are not limited to 鈥?ketamine, ephedrine, MDA (methylenedioxyamphetamine), 鈥渃rystal meth鈥?([S]-N-methyl-1-phenyl-propan-2-amine), MDEA (methylenedioxyethylamphetamine), and PCP (phencyclidine). These adulterants do, indeed, make 鈥榚cstasy鈥?a very dangerous drug. The variety of unknown substances in pills bought on the street make it even more dangerous. The law would not be doing its job were this drug to be allowed to continue circulating throughout the underground drug network. However, it must be noted that there is a vast difference between the street drug and purely synthetic compound. Because of this distinction, it is too presumptuous to ban all forms of the substance. Safety is certainly important in all circumstances involving drugs and medicines, but it should not be an excuse for ignorance.
So, it is clear that the problem here is not false information, but rather misinformation. All things considered, 鈥榚cstasy鈥?is indeed a dangerous substance that should not be taken by anyone 鈥?medically, or recreationally. But methylenedioxymethamphetamine 鈥?a purely synthetic compound, like others such as Tylenol 鈥?is not dangerous when administered for the appropriate reasons and in the appropriate environment. This distinction is the solid fact on which the law should be obligated to reconsider their hasty initial conclusion on a matter where no alternative was even sought. Well, the seeking has been done for them now 鈥?and the results bring a promising new future for struggling members of society. The law claims equal justice and liberty on all things, so the MDMA findings must be reviewed. There is simply too much presently on the subject to pretend it does not exist.
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I hope this clears some up for you. And perhaps may aid others in opening their minds a bit and viewing things in "a new light", provided said individuals actually take the time to read my work in its entirety.
Hope this helped ya, mate :) Very interesting, but the effort for change is a useless one... so sad. Now less go drink as much whiskey as the liquor store stocks and can legally sell to a single person and see what happens! Report It
Yes. Ecstacy, E, XTC, Love Drug and for you old hippies STP (for serenity, tranquility and peace from the 1960s) are street term for MDMA, which as you can see from the slang term from the 60's is not a new drug. Technically an amphetamine, it has properties a kin to both amphetamine and hallucinogens. It's one of the more nasty drugs in terms of side effects and potential damage to the body. A handful of people die in the US each year from MDMA.
As another answerer as stated though, many drugs on the street that are called "Ecstacy" are indeed not MDMA, but may contain a host of other substances. However, that statement could be made about any drug sold on the street. The FDA is not giving their seal of approval on street drugs. But in the interest of accuracy on answering a specific question, I give a specific answer. Sorry.
See sites for more info.
Rick the Pharmacist
(and addictions counselor) rickydot.. no they are not
xtc is a slang given to a pill that may or may not have MDMA in it... as long as it contains "uppers" wll.. amphetamines...
MDMA is what xtc used to be solely made from when it came out. very potent.. very euphoric effects.. loved up you might say with your senses "amplified".... and feeling for music unrivaled.. well...
anyhow...to sum it up.. mdma the real deal.. xtc.. a pill that could contain anything. even rat poison.
don't do drugs. yea
ecstasy actually comes from MDMA.... i'm doing this at school here you go
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/mdm...
ps. this is not my opinion nor claim it to be factual in content ecstasy is the term used for the drug mdma
its a drug that is used to make a person feel euphoric
messes with the chemical serintonin in your brain which makes a person feel good
but messing with that means that you will cause a chemical imbalance in your brain and you could end up depressed and never feel good again |
