Posted by Xevious on June 4, 2002, at 20:26:57
In reply to Re: All I want is to enjoy listening to music again... » SassyMom33, posted by adamie on June 3, 2002, at 22:55:59
Just a reality check -
MDMA (Ecstasy) is both a stimulant (like methamphetamine) and a mild hallucinogen (similar to mescaline or peyote), but it is not a narcotic. In pure form, reasonable doses and a controlled setting, it can be and has been a beneficial therapeutic aid when administered by a psychiatrist. Not that that will be happening again any time soon, though, as the hysteria generated by our government in its zeal to stamp out illegal (and dangerous) club use has left MDMA on the Schedule I list, seriously hindering legal scientific studies into the therapeutic effectiveness of this chemical. (I won't even go into why the inhumane economics of the pharmaceutical industry would prevent this from becoming a "real" drug...)
Perhaps the biggest danger with MDMA and other street drugs is that the users of these substances have little or no control over dosage, quality or even the chemical content of the drugs they are taking. And street Ecstacy is very dangerous in this regard indeed - the MDMA is very frequently cut with or completely replaced by other dangerous chemicals, many of which can compound or complicate the already dangerous side effects that MDMA can cause in high doses.
For most of us here, the largest danger with MDMA is the fact that it is indeed a very powerful mood enhancer, as it creates a surge of serotonin that can cut briefly through cronic depression. Therefore, the potential for chronic abuse is high, and chronic use of MDMA has been demonstrated to have rather serious neurotoxic effects.
The point that I'm trying to make here is that while I'll take a stand and say that street drugs are bad, it is generally not the drug itself but the delivery method and lack of controls on dosage, purity and composition that make them really dangerous. Before we go off on a crusade of elimination, we must remember that many of the prescription medications that we ourselves depend on carry many of the same dangers - it is only through careful use and avoidance of abuse that we are able to enjoy the therapeutic effects (and side-effects ;) ) of our meds.
No knee-jerking, please... let's keep these drugs *in* the hands of our scientists and teach our kids to make good choices...
poster:Xevious
thread:108122
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020602/msgs/108695.html