Ecstasy Rising

Ecstasy Rising

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Ratings: 7.72/10 from 43 users.

Ecstasy RisingABC News television documentary with Peter Jennings on the history of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine) also known as ecstasy.

It includes a short history of the drug and criticizes the negative health claims made by the U.S. government.

The rise of Ecstasy is a major event in drug history. If current trends continue, 1.8 million Americans will try Ecstasy for the first time in 2004.

Only marijuana will attract more new users. Overwhelming, positive word of mouth has made Ecstasy a nightmare for drug controllers.

On a special edition of 'Primetime Thursday' Peter Jennings tells the epic story of Ecstasy that has never been heard.

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ADRIAN HOOPER
ADRIAN HOOPER
3 years ago

IAM 50 NOW AND USED ECSTASY AT RAVES IN THE EARLY 90 S IAM FROM THE UK AND IT CHANGED ME IN A GOOD WAY WISH I CUD GO BACK AND DO IT ALL AGAIN 20 OOO RAVERS ON THE SAME BUZZ YOU CANNOT MATCH IT X

L.J.
L.J.
10 years ago

If formulated just right, its even better than sex! Love that stuff , like being on top of the word and it really makes me a lot more sociable and nicer towards others.

HSteinberg
HSteinberg
10 years ago

I took MDMA in 1984-1987 when it was pure MDMA. That crap they were making in their bath tubs in 1999 was nothing like it.

Guest
Guest
10 years ago

MDMA has helped my PTSD I no longer need to take the cabinet of meds i have

Alexandru Matei
Alexandru Matei
11 years ago

Ectasy is awesome ;-)

LIVEFROMLIMBO
LIVEFROMLIMBO
11 years ago

hilarious thumbnail for this doc.

StupidPeopleAreStupid
StupidPeopleAreStupid
11 years ago

I just can't believe the unprecedented amount of brainwashing which was conducted by governments throughout the 20th Century on the topic of drugs.

In the first half of the 20th Century, the government told the citizens that "smoking the devils grass (marijuana) will make you become violent like a nigger and rape young white girls" Can you believe it? Reefer Madness, they called it.

They built this whole economic empire, where they benefited through the inflow of money from foreign countries, the thousands of new jobs created through drug-enforcement and the increase in aggregate demand from proscecution costs. Additionally, they kept the criminal world happy by giving them new products to supply to an infinite and ever-growing demand.

But at what cost, I ask you?
Only the personal freedom of individuals, the health of many people who have taken drugs mixed with rat-poison by criminals and the many non-violent productive lives which have been wasted rotting in jail for possession.

The irony, oh the irony.
How I hope that in one hundred years we'll look back at our stance on drugs today and laugh, calling this society primitive and barbaric, just like we call the society of our ancestors.

People who still believe governments act in YOUR best interest when it comes to drugs, please wake up. If they really wanted drugs off the streets and out of this world, they would be LONG GONE.

Jane Larson
Jane Larson
11 years ago

Years later, the researcher (coached by the US government) who'd prior found that MDMA creates holes in the human brain, indicated that he actually gave the test subject (a spider monkey) METHAMPHETAMINE, not MDMA. Chalked it up to a 'labeling error' (which was unsubstantiated).

This needs to be spread around more. One of my therapists is still spreading misinformation. *rage*

devlinwaugh
devlinwaugh
11 years ago

MDMA was patented in 1913 (patent #274.350) by the German chemical company Merck supposedly to be sold as a diet pill (the patent does not mention any intended use), the company decided against marketing the drug and had nothing more to do with it. The US army experimented with MDMA in 1953, possibly as truth serum, they have not revealed their reasons.

Since MDMA has already been patented in 1913, it holds no profit potential for a drug company. A drug cannot be patented twice and before marketing a new drug, a company has to show that the potential side effects are justified by the drug's benefits as a medicine, and this involves long and expensive trials. The only way of recouping that expense is by obtaining exclusive rights to sell the drug through holding its patent. Only a few experimental therapists researched and tested the drug (between 1977 to 1985) for use during psychotherapy sessions.

Deejay Tremor
Deejay Tremor
11 years ago

'Only marijuana will attract more new users. Overwhelming, positive word of mouth has made Ecstasy a nightmare for drug controllers.'

Well i have an idea, sell all the drugs legally you d***heads, stop trying to control the drugs in 'the wrong way'

Melissa Hagblom
Melissa Hagblom
11 years ago

my husband and i were given MDMA by a friend after the birth of our second child, when we were in a bad, sleep-deprieved, vindictive place in our relationship. It saved our marriage. Our relationship. Now 16 years strong with two beautiful, healthy girls......I thank Gaia for MDMA and our friend, who saw we needed something to bring us back together. We talked all night and fell in love again.

as a side note, we researched it thoroughly before dosing, i trusted the source and knew it was a pure form of MDMA which should always be the case. Knowledge, moderation and respect is the key to anything really.

MrMikeunderscore
MrMikeunderscore
12 years ago

I love seeing all these crotchety old bastards pretending to care about the well beings of others. Personally devoting their lives to a war on drugs for the sake of "THE CHILDREN!"
Your parents love you, Don't do drugs! There, all your children are safe now. What? that didn't work? It must be the drug's fault then.

jason
jason
12 years ago

I laugh at this... out loud.

Jason Byers
Jason Byers
12 years ago

Why does anyone with a big opinion have trouble spelling!

Jaime Cevallos
Jaime Cevallos
12 years ago

The truth is that beans are not good for you..like any drug. You have to worry about dependency and long term effects. The important part is to use in moderation if you are going to "use". The GREMAN study was correct it has effects on your brain..thus the feeling after raving all night..but the keyword they used is that it is "reversible" which means the brain naturally creates more brain cells..dopamine..seratonin. Just be careful what you get on the streets! Ive heard of people mixing with "K"..LSD...and SPEED. But enjoy EX for what it is a powerful LOVE drug...when you experience it with good people...you never forget that feeling! ROCK ON!

Jeremy Crisler
Jeremy Crisler
12 years ago

Im 31 now. When I was a teen the drug I started doing first was pot. I smoked it for a while: a while is a couple years. I never really had an adverse affects from it except for the normal side effect and being high out of my mind everyday. I'ts when I got older and my friends started going to raves. One of them told me about ecstasy and how crazy it was. It'll be the best experience of your life. So I started going to raves, taking ecstasy partying my a** off, all that stuff. I can't really remeber but I think I went raves for a year and a half 2 years maybe. I didn't go every weekend but I took it quited a few times. So the longer I did it the drug recovery/hangover got worse and then stayed at that level. Didn't really think much of it because the high and experience was so good.. I was so into drugs I new nothing about long term effects especially as a teenager. Ecstasy uses up 2 weeks or so worth of serotonin every time you use it. After the first time you use it you can never experience the normal pleasure you had without the drug. Depending on how much you use it...it takes more and more of the drug to get the same high as the first couple of times because your receptor sites keep getting stretched out. Sometimes the stretching can't be undone. Im not trying to give a biology lesson here just telling you what happens if you don't already know. Also this was my experience. Yeah anyways your brain keeps growing in all areas until your about 25. Social, comprehension, memory ect ect. So anyways from doing the ecstasy: I started to become anxious, depressed, mind racing, socially paranoid, worse than social phobia, socially delusional and I thought it was just your regular social anxiety. It got worse and worse and so bad that I had to quit doing everything. College, work, lost all my friends, had a rediculously hard time going out just to do anything. I became so delusional, paranoid, panicky socially freaked out. I've lived with relatives and family for ten years and I'm just now starting some sort of life. A life that most people would have started in their early twenties. I won't describe the hell I've been through, every day , medication, experiences . I could go on and on. Like I said 10 years!! Even now SSRI's don't help me as much as other people because my serotonin levels became so f*****. I CAN now socialize with people but i'm locked up, blunted emotions, very few words come out. Basically my social brain didn't really develop that normal at all.
So yeah in closing this is what happened to me and also one of my close friends I knew back then developed some of the samee symptoms but not nearly as bad as mine. The last thing: cautionary tale. Was in an addiction class one time and the teacher was talking about NEUROTRANSMITTER RECEPTOR SITE damage and its reversal. A guy said to em " I thought you said the sites could go back to normal and some of the damage could be reversed?" He was shaking like if you had constant spams. What was his drug of choice?? ECSTASY
Also Even though it mainly targets your serotonin levels...it effects your Dopamine levels also.....S*** it affects alot of neurotransmitters

Yeah... also check out the girl who had a severe psychological breakdown on the show

Is it really worth doing it when that's a possibility? Over none of this stops you.....I'd suggest doing it in your mid twenties.

juan_az12
juan_az12
12 years ago

at first i didn't know who to believe because the government lied to me about weed, lsd, shrooms, and dmt and maybe the one thing they were right about was MDMA but then i realized the truth with this video that they were overexaggerating i still don't know wheter i will use it but if i do at the most i will use it twice and with the proof it seems like there wont be as bad effects if i use it once when im like lets say 25 and then later when im 30 because by then by brain will fully recuperate maybe

boylers
boylers
12 years ago

Life is for Living and by God me and all my mates took it every weekend in a Club called Sir Henrys in Ireland. Most of the music played was imported from the US (Banging House Music). The Ball and Chain its on youtube!!! It brings a smile to my face to think of all the crazy nights we had on that drug. It broke down barriers - opened peoples minds - created a love buzz that I will never ever forget (:>) None of my friends have ever had any bad side effects to the drug - But kids will be kids and stay up for a night or two partying, drinking and smoken and talking about the wicked choons and all the crazy nice people we met.
Compared to all the Coke - Smack and other sh*t that is on the streets now Ecstasy in moderation - drinking water and taking some time out during your dancing had no real bad side effects. I remember my Dad asking me when I was 18 whats this Ecstasy about son - I looked across the car and answered - good music - good friends and a lot of dancing Dad with a big SMILE on my face.

Bring back the 90's in Ireland in a LEGEND of a CLUB called { Sir Henrys }
Life is about experiences so get out there and do it - If you try it and its not for you well you know then.

35yrs Male Ireland

Hassassin
Hassassin
12 years ago

mdma is super fun..but moderation as with anything is key. like anything in this world that alters state of mind, getting hooked is possible and thus getting off is hard. again, moderation :) and PS, booze is the devil. terrible.

Jakob Isindahowz
Jakob Isindahowz
12 years ago

The Government does more damage with this misleading information in attempt to scare everyone from all drugs that after a kid, like myself, does one drug and realizes that what the government said is really bs so then some make the conclusion that everything they say about all drugs is bs and tries others that are more trouble. If the Government would just tell the truth, youth would be able to make better choices. Pot is as bad as crack?! come on.

Mark Anderson
Mark Anderson
12 years ago

The government is like the boy who cried wolf.

Wayne Wiblin
Wayne Wiblin
12 years ago

This video is really making ecstasy out to be the drug that was so wrong done by. It in no way is a good drug. I used it for about 5 years and it was a one way ticket to hell and back to get off of it. I had to learn to deal with a reality without it, learn to socialize again and in many ways learn to know who I was. Im not your father brother or anyone better than the next but if you taking x be careful think about it you nobody special the end result is the same for everyone and its not a pretty one

Maurissa Dorn
Maurissa Dorn
12 years ago

When you tell everyone something's going to kill them and it doesn't, they start to think there's nothing wrong with it. Maybe if the government portrayed drugs realistically kid's wouldn't be constantly frying their brains for a couple hours of fun.

jayne12
jayne12
12 years ago

I agree with Daphne in some respect. Don't get me wrong, i loved going out with my so called 'friends' and at that time i had a long term relationship where we both took e. I had been doing e for 20 years until 4 years ago when i gave up the whole thing. club scene, e and the friends and that was very very difficult to get over because i had made the e culture become my life and when i decided to come off it i had to replace it and didn't know how because i decided to 'ditch' the whole lifestyle. E eventually affects your mind body and soul and if anyone was like me that depended on it for a decent night out it totally affects who you are and how you live your life. One of my real friends was raped on E because she lost control and there are people out there who will take advantage of that. Again, don't get me wrong, it's a lovely drug but everything in moderation i say.

Louis de Potesta
Louis de Potesta
12 years ago

and I do not advocate for the use of MDMA or any psychoactive, but I do insist people become informed, make an informed decision, and respect other sovereignty

Louis de Potesta
Louis de Potesta
12 years ago

Just like it helps to imagine a situation from somebody else's perspective, I believe 'drugs' help the user see reality from a different perspective. The sober perspective, the one most people experience everyday, is a very utilitarian one, it is not wrong or stupid, but it is only one way of looking at reality, one with a very specific goal in mind. I believe to refuse to try any drug is to have a close mind. The world as we know it was and is run by people of the sober (mainly christian) perspective, and they make it exceptionally hard for people who do not see from this perspective to live a happy life. Various drugs allow the user to derive pleasure from simple pleasures, dancing, talking, social interaction, simply living. In a society governed by consumption and constant materialistic exchange, does it not make sense that drugs would therefore be frowned upon?

Gary V
Gary V
12 years ago

A very good Documentary, except I was a part of the UK rave scene from the beginning & 99% of the music that we listened to was British, only a small amount of it was American.

Daphne Volante
Daphne Volante
12 years ago

i've done a lot of extacy and I can say that it does affect serotonin, mood, sleep and appetite. When I was on E, I hated solid food, ate nothing but orange juice and vanilla ice cream. I couldn't sleep for days at a time and when I did, I would crash out for 14-24 hours at a time. My mood was all over the place. When I wasn't on E, I hated everything. I stopped painting, drawing, etc unless I was on E. I ended up stopping because my chiropractor bills were getting out of hand. Every time I rolled, I would get terrible back pain for a week afterwards. I'm not saying nobody should ever take it. I'm just saying that just because you feel wonderful when you're on it, and just because the DEA is clearly lying about some of the adverse effects, doesn't mean there aren't any adverse effects. Looking back now, I feel like I wasted years of my life being "friends" with people who I discovered later had really awful personalities, talking to people who wouldn't give me the time of day if we were sober, and dating people who I barely even knew.

wpsmithjr
wpsmithjr
13 years ago

I'm amazed. This documentary was produced by ABC.

And it's not really that negative.

Wow.

lols
lols
13 years ago

E is usefull to do once at least because it can change the way you look at everything and not be such a follower, it can craft an individual; so can LSD/shrooms and Marijuana.

I think it really changed who I am in every way, It sorts out the independent from the little bitches who believe everything their leaders say.
Praise the love drug

cezy
cezy
13 years ago

well, the same government also talked about weapons of mass destruction in iran... MDMA makes people happy. Happy people don't buy useless stuff...

Brittany
Brittany
13 years ago

This is just more proof that the government is trying to keep our nation under wraps and follow suit with their brainwashing tactics. The only physician in this video that said anything about ectasy being harmful was the one hired by the government. I'm very surprised Peter Jennings didn't try and mislead us with information like he did with the JFK assasination...

WTF
WTF
13 years ago

I dont understand why this drug is called catastrophic while pharmaceuticals keep getting pushed -as if they do no damage.
sometimes I just want to say to the DEA -go f@#$ yourself.

Saac
Saac
13 years ago

Live in this reality and not another. You shouldn't need a foreign substance to create or maintain a level of happiness. Stay away from recreational drugs.

happines
happines
13 years ago

its all about happily feeling within you as a person.u doing right or wrong stuffs depends on your own morality.use of MDMA or ecstasy in a prolonged manner is quite good mentally because using these drugs gives you a feeling of openess and a world beyond imagination......i m 23 , and i m enjoying every bit of my life....Science Saves life.....peace

OM
OM
13 years ago

coffee and caffeine ause more "brain damage" and death than ecstasy

THE VEYR CLOSING STATEMENTS ARE ABSURD FEAR HYPNOTICS
it is like saying NO ONE WILL NO WHEN , THE GOVERNMANT MAY CONCLUDED : FOLLOWED BY A VERY STERN STRONG FEARFUL VOICE, THE ECSTASY IS PETER RABBIT WEARING A PURPLE HAT .

that is the absurdity of lying, the thought that a hate filled guy , and buy the sway the smug d*a agent was more full of swiss cheese than the people he hypothesizes about ...
can restrict peoples liberties ? that is not america, no one lives in america , america is the freedom of lie liberty the pursuit of happiness and the freedom of religion and mdma, lsd, peyote, etc, cannabis, are a religious sacrament to the body temple

i pray that common sense floats far and wide, forms storms clouds and drowns those that think that FORCE , ENFORCEMENT is GOOD FOR PEACEFUL PEOPLE THAT ARE MINDING *** THEIR OWN BUSINESS *** THEY ARE THE TRUE THIEVES, THIS IS TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION AND CAUSE FOR A REVOLUTION
but violence solves nothing and will not be the way to change.

the prozac, alcohol, tobacco, and coffee is and are far more dangerous, don't go get drunk and dance and throw up , take something healthy and good for your being .

bobby
bobby
13 years ago

the british government spent hundreds of millions of pounds tryind to stop the football holliganism that was killing the game there,but in a short space of time all the different crews from the different clubs that were trying to kill each other started to take ecstasy going to games and the incidences of hooliganism at those games virtually dissapeared.but alas cocaine seems to be the drug of choice again and the trouble is getting a little bit worse,nothing like the 70s,80s but hey get those boys back on E and jobs done

god
god
13 years ago

Master E. Bator
"leads to war and death and the consequential fragmentation of psyche and community. Which leads to bigger empire and less personal control over our lives."

well put, that pretty much sums it up.
men seeking to be god impose rules upon the freedoms of mans mind to control his body through oppressing his soul.
there is nothing wrong with empires until they try to tell you what to think instead seeking communion of mutual good.

Master E. Bator
Master E. Bator
13 years ago

I quickly browsed this thread. the debate seems to be whether or not MDMA is bad for you or not....bad for others,societies, or not. Well of course it is and of course it isn't, just like every thing.

I can pick up a pen and stick in my or another eye...or i can write a new age manifesto with it. I could jump in a fire or push someone in the fire that i could also cook food and stay warm with. however, an incredibly vast majority of the time, people will be writing with a pen and sharing ideas, while sharing fire cooked food and warmth. why? Because, simply, it's enjoyable....not because there is a law that doesn't allow people to stab eyes and throw ourselves in fires. Rules and laws imposed for an adults own good simply establish a belief that people cannot be trusted with there own best interest. We elect to become caged animals for our own best interest because we come to believe that we cannot be responsible for our own lives. consequently the mistrust of the internal projects and manifests on the external,hence, control and oppression which leads to war and death and the consequential fragmentation of psyche and community. Which leads to bigger empire and less personal control over our lives.

Prohibition is essential to the building of oppressive empires...this is the real debate here. Try and think of one static State, state of mind, or other, that doesn't use some sort of prohibition to create it.

May i suggest that not having these rules, sanctions and oppression all around us everyday, that serve really no purpose other than establishing a status quo by taking away self responsibility, may i suggest that if these were all gone that we would feel like we were on ecstacy all the time minus the side effects; probably even better.

Nick
Nick
13 years ago

Take a moment and open your mind. Now please think of your definition of a drug. Does that include normal, everyday substances that you consume regularly? It should. Alcohol, caffeine, any kind of prescription or over the counter medication (ever used cough syrup?), even the majority of food and beverages in the local grocery store contain significant amounts of drugs. My point is this: unless you are completely off the grid, consuming nothing but food you grow yourself in your backyard, you are a drug user.

The truth is, the vast majority of drugs are beneficial in some way. The only honest and objective way to classify a drug as "good" or "bad" is to compare the positive effects with the negative effects. Consider an extreme example: heroine produces a temporary state of extreme euphoria (positive effect) but is very physically addictive and in the majority of cases wreaks havoc in the user's life (negative effect). Obviously we can conclude that heroine is a "bad" drug because the negative effects severely outweigh the positive. Most medications, especially those that can cure or prevent terminal illness (Penicillin is a great example), can be labeled as "good" drugs because their benefits far outweigh any negative side effects.

Now consider MDMA. The positive effects, both medical and recreational, are abundant and have been discussed in great detail in the documentary and on this forum. The only negative effects of which there is any substantial evidence include a mild "hangover" type of feeling after the initial effects wear off and the slight decrease in serotonin levels found in active users by the German study, which also indicated it was only a temporary decrease that would return to normal levels a few months after usage ceased. Any claims of brain damage or other severe side effects are unsubstantiated myths with no sound scientific basis. The percentage of people with severe reactions to MDMA that have caused death or permanent harm is minuscule. Far more people are severely allergic to Penicillin. Should we ban it's usage as well?

My point is, any honest, objective classification of MDMA will place it in the "good" drug category. Does this mean it's safe for everyone to use? No. As with any substance, irresponsible use can be very destructive. However, in such cases, it is the person abusing the substance that is to blame, not the substance itself. If you are going to ban MDMA due to the very small percentage of people who have experienced negative side effects then you better be prepared to go without any form of medication, absolutely no mass production of food, very few technologies which make today's society possible, zero recreation of any kind (because you could be injured!), very limited personal interaction with other people (because you could meet someone dangerous!)... you see where this is going. The logic behind the ban of MDMA is either very flawed, or very unethical. In other words, it's either ignorance or tyranny that's to blame.

Oh, and in response to the whole "drugs fund terrorism" argument, they only fund terrorism because they are illegal. Who made them illegal? The logical conclusion to that argument is that government has indirectly funded terrorism and ultimately has the power to de-fund it by legalizing drugs. Claiming a person shouldn't use drugs because drugs fund terrorism is like saying you shouldn't pay taxes because governments fund wars. While both claims are true, the correlation to the user being responsible for the end result is false.

In conclusion, the classification of MDMA among the ranks of such drugs as heroine, meth, and cocaine is lunacy. This drug is one of the safest recreational drugs available (much safer then alcohol or tobacco) as well as being a very effective medical treatment for psychological disorders (look into the recent, illegal studies of MDMA being used to cure, not just treat, but actually cure PTSD). The medical benefits alone make the government's ban of MDMA unethical.

I am a very moral, honest, and objective Christian man. I am a patriot who served honorably in the Marine Corps. I am well educated and continue to pursue further studies. My relationships with family and friends could only be described as deep and loving. I am also an occasional, responsible user of MDMA, and I would recommend its occasional, responsible use to any other mentally stable person. In my experiences, it's done nothing but bring people closer together and more in touch with themselves.

Shadow1869
Shadow1869
13 years ago

Drugs should be legalized. Some are very bad but if it is legal you wouldn't be funding drug cartels and street gangs so there will be reduced crime and best of all it cities states and federal governments would gain the extra taxes from the sale of the drugs. The war on drugs after the trillion dollars spent has failed and no one has learned from alcohol prohibition that making it illegal just doesn't work.

Phillip
Phillip
13 years ago

Great documentary! It was fair and balanced.(unlike the news station with that slogan lol)

I think for one's comment to hold merit on this subject they need to have tried the drug.

I used the drug several times over the summer after my high school graduation. It opened my mind to things I never before imagined. The feeling is something I will never forget and I know I will never regret my decision to use MDMA. Now four years later I'm finishing up my Bachelor of Commerce(Hons)and heading to law school. My point is that some individuals(L, Ashley) are being irrational for condemning those of us that put MDMA in a positive light. MDMA is not going to destroy anyone's life or make them any less intelligent as long as it is used responsibly. So yes, Ashley, some drugs are okay in moderation.

A Canadians perspective.

corey
corey
13 years ago

guardian-sorta like how are goverments control us with pharmaceuticals

guardian
guardian
13 years ago

Its funny how rebellious and cool people think they are by using drugs... Im curiouse though, wasn't it Britan who used opium to control and dominate asian countries in recent history? you know looking back at history you always run into these cases where the power hungry would introduce dugs into areas they wanted to controle. You know It would seem to me that its a lucrative means of controle over "sheeple". not that I know anything, mind you...

michael
michael
13 years ago

lets compare it to climate science shall we ?
who says yes ?
who says no ?
The root cause behind this is the puritanical cultists trying to match up fear, hate and grief and depression with enjoyable parts of human life.
What they don't want is people having fun and loving each other without them being able to hold some type of fear mechanism above them as a form of control.

j
j
13 years ago

MDMA is the most life changing substance I've ever partaken of, the second is LSD. Where LSD expands the mind outward, MDMA turns that reflection inward. You may discover things about yourself you don't even want to while on X. I experimented with it for a year nine years ago, and nothing else has been as life changing.

Scephria
Scephria
13 years ago

Big Dipper- Thank you.

I would like to applaud you both on your thoughts in regard to our current state as humans and your attention to correct spelling and grammar (I believe it speaks volumes about an individual’s true intelligence and respect for others).
While I do not completely agree with some of you views you raise some very interesting points.

To all others who have posted here it’s been interesting to read the different viewpoints and individual main arguments for or against. To those of you with blanket statements such as ‘lol drugs are bad kay?’ perhaps, put some substance behind your words (that was a terribly lame joke), tell us why you believe they are bad.

(TL; DR at base)

On a personal note I have used Ecstasy (with the last 3 years). My reason for trying it was that at that point in my life I had nothing to lose. I knew all the risks, I knew of the majority of the harmful substances that could be found mixed into it and I knew of the physical changes it would bring. At that point in my life however I was not going anywhere, nor did I want to. For the first six months of the experience I knew that my level of usage was too much for who I was (on average one pill a week, I would sometimes go a month with nothing, then take two over a weekend. This is the problem with a statistical summary; it does not paint an accurate picture of my usage). The people that I shared these experiences with often took much more so I never felt as if what I was doing was terribly wrong. I did slow down quite rapidly and now, in the last year I have only taken it once.

I always enjoyed every second of the closeness that was felt (when up) and the ‘aftermath’ or ‘comedown’ was often spent in the company of those going through the same thing and it turned into a lovely social event all weekend where we would sit around, watch movies, go to the beach and every now and then play board games.

I believe I am one of the many that can correctly and proudly claim that this drug did turn my life around. It helped me gain perspective on what I truly cared about, what I wanted to do and where I wanted to get to someday.

Unfortunately MDMA is still a very young substance so research into long term use and side effects is not possible (also the ethics involved in psychoactive testing and research will probably never allow the field to be properly explored).

The illegalisation of this drug has only made it more dangerous and ‘immoral’ to use. The danger is in that there is little, to no regulation as to what is mixed and sold as ‘Ecstasy’. I believe the immorality lies in who receives the profit and what the profit is then placed into. In my opinion, all the illegalisation is doing is funding illegal activities, which in the nature of that sentence seems quite backward.

(Too long; didn’t read?)
My main points are simple
- MDMA changed my life
- We cannot conclusively say that there are no long term, negative side effects (at this point in time)
- The illegalisation has only caused this to become a more harmful drug to society due to how it now has to be produced.

One rule- For as long as you only harm yourself, a person should be able to do as they wish.
Or- For as long as no one is harmed (physical and psychological), a person should be able to do as they wish.
Have fun and be safe.

Imightberiding
Imightberiding
13 years ago

Excellent doc. Thanks for posting this. Finally something on the subject that is not blindly one sided or biased. I've used it before it was illegal back in the 80's & had wonderful experiences. Not just in clubs but especially out in nature. The only down side is the tendency to spend more money while out partying because you just don't care & of course the desire to do it again & again. All in all good times & memories.

Peter Carson
Peter Carson
13 years ago

Vlatko
Thanks again for posting another incredible documentary.

During my youth in the early 1960's, almost everyone smoked pot, and there was lots of heroin as cocaine began creeping into widespread usage. LSD was also very very prevalent, as were a host of other drugs made from horse tranquilizer.

The circle of friends I had were very into street drugs, and in some ways I wish I would have seen this and other films 35 years ago, because I was scared spitless to use any of the pop-cult drugs except occassionally smoking marijuana due to my concern there was no way to know who made the drugs, what was in them, and many obvious detrimental side effects of addiction.

Insofar as mainstream pharma drugs, it was only about 5 or 6 years ago when I discovered another documentary which offered any insight to the incredibly high casualty rates of people using prescription drugs approved by Health CanaDUH? and the FDA et al.

These number pale in comparrison to many psychoactive drugs which Big Pharma is working overtime to extinguish, in it's campaigns to wipe-out competition, and use it's immeanse financial power to evade prosecution - buying / bribing all the political scumbags within every lying thieving judiciary and law enforcement systems.

Again, my appreciation to Vlatko and others posting comments on this site, which enables myself and others like-minded, to explore subjects we may not have otherwise, to share opinions, views and ideas freely and uninhibited from judgement. The TD site has opened my eyes to many interesting subjects, answered many of my questions and assisted my interest to learn, and to become more educated.

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13 years ago

Yeah like everything it depends on the person, you cant obviously use the fact that you 'felt dizzy at the time' or anything like that as an excuse for driving into someone and killing them, just like you cant use the fact that you were high on whatever drug. dont blame the drug, whats wrong with nieve people who blame the drug, its their choice, blame the person. thats how accidents happen. btw there are soooooooo many things that directly fund terrorism, its a big mixed up world, all these people annoy me blaming it on the drug when there are so much more obviously bad things to blame it on.

psychedelic drugs have so many good sides to them they shouldn't be blamed for something that has nothing to do with it.

as for the addictive ones, (apart from weed) meth, crack, coke, these shouldnt be put into the same category as psychedelics, its just stupid, its like saying orange juice and acid should be treated the same. it makes no sense.