In the early 1980’s Ecstacy quickly became the "in" drug for weekend parties in some areas and continued until 1988 when DEA took steps to make it a Schedule I drug.

In 1987 Ecstacy fueled all night dance parties that are now known as "raves" in England. The popularity of Raves continued to grow rapidly. By 1992 raves were being held in virtually every country in the world. The popularity of rave parties has continued to grow ever since, increasing the demand for Ecstacy and increasing the popularity of the drug.

Ecstacy is made in clandestine laboratories similar to the way Methamphetamine is created. It is then pressed into pills with pill presses or placed in capsules. The majority of Ecstacy, approximately 90% is manufactured in the Netherlands and Belgium. It is then smuggled to the United States on commercial airlines and by other means. It is estimated that about 2,000,000 Ecstacy tablets are smuggled into the United States each week. Government agencies involved in interdiction are reporting sharp increases in the amount of Ecstacy being seized. U. S. Customs seized 400,000 1997, 750,000 in 1998, 3,500,000 in 1999 and in fiscal year 2000 they seized 9,300,000 Ecstacy tablets. It is plain to see that the popularity of Ecstacy is on the rise at an alarming rate.

^{courtesy of Jonah Mueller}

Ecstasy is a mood changing fulfilling drug that makes you smile or frown, or cry or be shy.If you run over the facts of ecstasy you wouldn't bother taking it. you could go out into your garage, find some kind of fluid, like anti-freeze, gasoline, and other chemicals like that, mix it together, drink it, and have the exact same feeling of ecstasy. See that sounds ridiculous...right? Well that has less chemicals in it than ecstasy. You might as well be drink that mixture of random chemical's, then doing ecstasy. I mean sure, you wont exactly feel the mood changes, but you'll get the light headed feeling, the nausea, and the random urge's.Makers of ecstasy can add anything they want to the drug. So the purity of ecstasy is always in question

--What is it?Ecstasy is a slang term for an illegal drug that has effects similar to those of hallucinogens and stimulants.Ecstasy's scientific name is methylenedioxymethamphetamine, and is generally used at "raves" where people are dancing for hours on end, because the M.D.M.A [methylenedioxymethamphetamine] is making there energy level rise, making them more and more jumpy, and alert. A good way to burn this feeling off is by dancing. the drug lasts for a few hours, but during that time is still raising there energy level, so they are maintaining the same feeling as when it first kicked in.

-- so considering what you just read, what do you think is smarter....drinking random chemical filled liquids, or just taking more chemicals, but in a solid - a.k.a Ecstasy -- that is exactly what they put in it, random household liquids, that are you for cleaning, or making things work. and right now i can guaranty that you still aren't convinced because you loved the damn drug so much. well, lets run over some facts....

-1-Like other stimulant drugs, MDMA appears to have the ability to cause addiction.no one knows how many times a person can use a drug before becoming addicted or who's most vulnerable to addiction

-2-research shows that abuse of any club drugs, like ecstasy, can cause serious health problems and, in rare instances, even death. Many drug abusers take combinations of drugs, including alcohol, which may further increase their danger.

-3-the side effects of MDMA-including feelings of sadness, anxiety, depression, and memory difficulties-can last for several days to a week,or longer

-4-MDMA can interfere with the body's ability to regulate its temperature, which can cause dangerous overheating (hypothermia.)

-5-MDMA can also cause muscle tension, clenching of teeth, nausea, blurred vision, fainting, and chills or sweating. It increases heart rate and blood pressure.

-6-MDMA can cause confusion, depression, sleep problems, intense fear, and anxiety. In regular abusers, some of these side effects can last for days or weeks after taking MDMA.

-7- Brain imaging research in humans indicates that MDMA may affect neurons that use serotonin to communicate with other neurons. The serotonin system plays a direct role in regulating mood, aggression, sexual activity, sleep, and sensitivity to pain.

Nausea Sweating Nystagmus Teeth grinding Pupillary dilation Increased heart rate Dryness of the mouth Muscle tension (jaws) Increased blood pressure

• Increased body temperature

• Euphoria
• Decreased hostility and insecurity
• Increased feelings of intimacy with others
• Feelings of empathy towards others
• Ability to discuss anxiety-provoking topics with markedly-increased ease
• A strong sense of inner peace and self-acceptance
• Feelings of insightfulness and mental clarity
• Intensification of sensory experience, particularly auditory and tactile
• Decreased appetite
• Urinary retention (also see hyponatremia)
• Mydriasis (abnormal pupil dilation)
• Increased physical energy
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure

Other effects may include:

• Short-term memory lapses
• Trisma (lockjaw)
• Bruxia (involuntary teeth grinding)
• Nystagmus (rapid, uncontrollable eye movements)
• Several hours of restlessness following primary subjective effects, often accompanied by a peaceful, "glowing" feeling
• A period of general malaise following primary subjective effects, normally resolving within a few days
• Mildly-blurred vision following primary subjective effects, gradually resolving over a period of up to several days, also known as "plurring"

Serious complications increasing in likelihood with dose, environmental severity, degree of physical activity, and/or certain drug interactions include:

• Hyperthermia (due to an intemperate environment and/or lack of hydration and/or rest from physical activity, usually dancing)
• Dehydration (due to an intemperate environment and/or lack of hydration and/or rest from physical activity, usually dancing)
• Hyponatremia (due to drug induced antidiuretic hormone release and/or excess compensatory intake of fluids, a rare complication)
• Serotonin syndrome (believed to be due to excess release of serotonin, sometimes triggered by coadministration of other serotonergic drugs)

• Acute renal (kidney) failure

• Cardiovascular collapse

• Cerebral infarction (cell death due to local loss of circulation) or bleeding

• Depression

• Hepatic (liver) failure

• Hyponatremia (low sodium) (water intoxication)

• Psychosis

• Respiratory failure

• Rhabdomyolysis (degeneration of muscle proteins)

Rochester JA, Kirchner JT (1999) J Am Board Fam Pract 12:137-42

Ecstacy is targeted to appeal to teenagers and young adults. The pills are generally pastel in color and have many different logos' that are stamped into the pills. The logos' range from Christmas trees around the Christmas holidays to shamrocks and designer emblems such as Nike, Mitsubishi, playboy bunny, there are many, many more.

Another reason why Ecstasy appeals more to our youth and young adults is because it is not intrusive. You don’t have to inject, snort, or smoke it. All you have to do is put it in your mouth and swallow it like an aspirin. Many people take aspirin, vitamins and all kinds of other medications on a daily basis and don’t think twice about popping a Ecstacy pill.

^{excerpts from nevamo.com}

You might think that what I am about to tell you is silly or nonsense but the following Items are the types of paraphernalia you might find if you suspect someone of using Ecstacy, this is not a joke its real.

• Pacifiers, Blo-pops, Popsicle sticks

• M&Ms, Skittles, Tootsie-Rolls, Candy necklaces

• Glo-sticks, Bottled water

• Dust / surgical masks

• Vicks Vapor Rub

• Strobe lights

• Suppository bottles

You might be telling yourself "no way!" but I assure you this is true. The next segment will be on Rave clubs and Rave drugs. You will get a much clearer picture of what all of this paraphernalia is for when I have this article posted.