LOCAL DRUGS OF CONCERN
NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO

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MDA/MDMA (Ecstasy)

Many chemical variations of mescaline and amphetamine have been synthesized for their "feel good" effects. Illicitly manufactured analogues include 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, also referred to as Ecstasy or XTC). These drugs differ from one another in their potency, speed of onset, duration of action and their capacity to modify mood with or without producing overt hallucinations. These drugs are widely used at "raves." (Raves are large all-night dance parties held in unusual settings, such as warehouses or railroad yards, that feature computer-generated, high volume, pulsating music.) The drugs are usually taken orally, sometimes snorted and rarely injected. Because they are produced in clandestine laboratories, they are seldom pure and the amount in a capsule or tablet is likely to vary considerably.

MDMA, called "Adam," "ecstasy," or "X-TC" on the street, is a synthetic, psychoactive (mind-altering) drug with hallucinogenic and amphetamine-like properties. Its chemical structure (3-4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is similar to two other synthetic drugs, MDA and methamphetamine, which are known to cause brain damage. MDMA is a so-called "designer drug," which, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration in the United States, has become a nationwide problem as well as a serious health threat. It is known to be the cause of at least two deaths.

Beliefs about ecstasy are reminiscent of similar claims made about LSD in the 1950s and 1960s, which proved to be untrue. According to its proponents, MDMA can make people trust each other and breaks down barriers between therapists and patients, lovers, and family members.

Many problems users encounter with MDMA are similar to those found with the use of amphetamines and cocaine. They are:

• psychological difficulties, including confusion, depression, sleep problems, drug craving, severe anxiety, and paranoia-during and sometimes weeks after taking MDMA (even psychotic episodes have been reported);
• physical symptoms such as muscle tension, involuntary teeth-clenching, nausea, blurred vision, rapid eye movements, faintness, and chills or sweating;
• increases in heart rate and blood pressure, a special risk for people with circulatory or heart disease.

The National Institute on Drug Addiction (NIDA) in the United States has arranged to have MDMA synthesized so that qualified researchers can conduct studies on the drug's long-term neurotoxicity and abuse potential. It is believed that this research will indicate that MDMA causes brain damage, just as MDA and methamphetamine do.

MDA, the parent drug of MDMA, is an amphetamine-like drug that also has been abused and is similar in chemical structure to MDMA. According to NIDA-supported researchers, Drs. L.S. Seiden and C.R. Schuster of the University of Chicago, MDA destroys serotonin-producing neurons, which play a direct role in regulating aggression, mood, sexual activity, sleep, and sensitivity to pain. It is probably this action on the serotonin system that gives MDA its purported properties of heightened sexual experience, tranquility, and conviviality.

MDMA also is related in structure and effects to methamphetamine. Methamphetamine has been shown by the Chicago researchers to cause degeneration of neurons containing the neurotransmitter dopamine. Damage to these neurons is the underlying cause of the motor disturbances seen in Parkinson's disease.

In laboratory experiments, a single exposure to methamphetamine at high doses or prolonged use at low doses destroys up to 50 percent of the brain cells that use dopamine. Although this damage may not be immediately apparent, scientists believe that with aging or exposure to other toxic agents, Parkinsonian symptoms may eventually emerge. These symptoms begin with lack of coordination and tremors and may eventually result in a form of paralysis.

DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) officials in the United States have said that MDMA is available in at least 21 States and Canada and is especially popular with college students and young professionals.

LOCAL PACKAGING AND PRICING:

In the Thunder Bay area the majority of the Ecstasy is in pill or tablet form and ranges in price from $40-$60 per unit.

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For further information contact:

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