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. EXTASY RISING, ecstasy information documentary.MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, commonly known as ecstasy) is an entactogenic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine families.
MDMA is considered unusual for its tendency to induce a sense of intimacy with others and diminished feelings of fear, anxiety, and depression. Some have suggested it might have therapeutic benefits in certain individuals. Before it was made a controlled substance, MDMA was used as an augmentation to psychotherapy, often couples therapy, and to help treat clinical
depression as well as anxiety disorders. Clinical trials are now testing the therapeutic potential of MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety associated with terminal cancer.[3][4]
MDMA is criminalized in most countries in the world under a United Nations (U.N.) agreement,[5] and its possession, manufacture, or sale may result in criminal prosecution, although some limited exceptions exist for scientific and medical research. MDMA is one of the most widely used recreational drugs in the world and is taken in a variety of contexts far removed
from its roots in psychotherapeutic settings. It is commonly associated with dance parties (or "raves") and electronic dance music.[6]
There have been debates within scientific, health care, and drug policy circles about the risks of MDMA, specifically the possibility of neurotoxic damage to the central nervous system (CNS). Regulatory authorities in several locations around the world have approved scientific studies administering MDMA to humans to examine its therapeutic potential and its
effects.[7]
Continuing to study the substance in clinical trials, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies released the following statement in October 2008, "We found that low doses of MDMA (between 50 and 75 mg) were both psychologically and physiologically safe for all the subjects. Future studies in larger samples and using larger doses are needed in order to
further clarify the safety and efficacy of MDMA in the clinical setting in subjects with PTSD.?[8]
source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDMA Edit 
