|
|
 
Chapter II (continued)
6. MDMA
General
— MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), commonly called
ecstasy or XTC, is a synthetic, psychoactive drug possessing stimulant
and mild hallucinogenic properties. The substance gained popularity
in the late 1980s and early 1990s as an alternative to heroin and
cocaine. MDMA customarily is sold and consumed at "raves," which
are semi-clandestine, all-night parties and concerts. Use appears
to be widespread within virtually every major U.S. city with indications
of trafficking and abuse in smaller towns. MDMA is considered a
"designer drug," which is a substance on the illegal market that
is a chemical analogue or variation of another psychoactive drug.
MDMA is similar in stimulant properties to amphetamine or methamphetamine,
and it resembles mescaline in terms of hallucinogen qualities. Illicitly
marketed as a "feel good" drug, it has been dubbed the "hug drug."
Risks associated with MDMA include severe dehydration and death
from heat stroke or heart failure.74
A review of several studies by the National Institute on Drug Abuse
(NIDA) concludes that heavy MDMA users have significant impairments
in visual and verbal memory compared to non-users.75
Further findings by Johns Hopkins University and the National Institute
of Mental Health (NIMH) suggest that MDMA use may lead to impairment
in other cognitive functions, such as the ability to reason verbally
or sustain attention.76
Ecstasy
(MDMA) and Our Youth
Trends in Annual Use
Source: 1999 Monitoring the Future Study
Overall
Usage — Ecstasy is often used in conjunction with other
drugs and is extremely popular among some teenagers and young
professionals. Furthermore, growing numbers of users — primarily
in the Miami and Orlando areas — combine MDMA with heroin,
a practice known as "rolling." If this trend continues, MDMA may
become a "gateway" drug that leads to the consumption of a variety
of other substances. Emergency room mentions increased from sixty-eight
in 1993 to 637 in 1997.77
MDMA also suppresses the need to eat, drink, or sleep and subsequently
allows people to stay up all night, dancing at raves.78
Use among
youth — According to the 1999 MTF, past-year use of MDMA
increased from 3.3 percent in 1998 to 4.4 percent in 1999 among
tenth graders. Twelfth grade use increased in all three categories
by: 38 percent for lifetime use (5.8 percent to 8 percent), 56
percent for annual use (from 3.6 percent to 5.6 percent), and
67 percent for past 30-day use (from 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent)
between 1998 and 1999.79
MDMA use is widespread, particularly among white adolescents in
the Northeast.
Federal MDMA
(Ecstasy) Seizures
Source: DEA, 1999 STRIDE Data
Availability
— Numerous data reflect the increasing availability of
MDMA in the United States — in metropolitan centers and suburban
communities alike.80
Law-enforcement agencies report a surge in MDMA seizures between
1998 and 1999. The DEA seized more than 216,300 MDMA tablets in
the United States in the first five months of 1999; the 1998 total
was 143,600.81
The United States Customs Service (USCS) reports that seizures
are up more than 700 percent since 1997. USCS seized three million
MDMA tablets in fiscal year 1999 and two million to date in the
first quarter of fiscal year 2000.82
Production of MDMA is centered in Europe (predominately Belgium,
the Netherlands, and Luxembourg).83
Further encouraging
the importation of MDMA to the United States is the drug's high
profit margin — production costs are as low as two to twenty-five
cents per dose while retail prices in the U.S. are between twenty
dollars and forty-five dollars per dose.84
Increasing involvement of organized criminal groups — particularly
Western European, Russian, and Israeli crime syndicates —
indicates a move toward "professionalization" of MDMA markets.
Law-enforcement reports indicate criminal groups that have proven
capable of producing and smuggling significant quantities of MDMA
into the United States are expanding distribution networks from
coast to coast.85
Ecstasy (MDMA)
Emergency Room Mentions
Source: SAMHSA, 1997 DAWN Emergency Department Data
|
