Essay is about Ecstasy, the drug.

Essay by ThulasyUniversity, Bachelor's March 2003

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What Is Ecstasy?

Ecstasy is a drug that's shaped like a Tylenol. The main chemical in Ecstasy is Methylenedioxymethamphetamine(MDMA). Chemically, Ecstasy is an analogue of MDA, a drug that was popular in the 1960s. In the late 1970s, MDMA was used to facilitate psychotherapy by a small group of therapists in the United States. Illicit use of the drug did not become popular until the late 1980s and early 1990s. MDMA is frequently used in combination with other drugs. However, it is rarely consumed with alcohol, as alcohol is believed to diminish its effects.

History

Ecstasy was patented in 1913 by the German chemical company Merck; supposedly it was supposed to be sold as a diet pill. A year after they started selling Ecstasy they took it of the market. Another urban legend has it that in 1953 the US army tested Ecstasy as a possible truth serum, but there is no real evidence supporting this.

The man responsible for the modern research of Ecstasy is Alexander Shulgin, who after graduating from the University of California at Berkeley with a Ph.D. in biochemistry got a job as a research chemist with Dow Chemicals. Among his many achievements for Dow Chemicals Ecstasy was one of the most profitable. Dow Chemicals was happy with the Pill but Shulgin's other projects created a parting of the way between the biochemist and the chemical company. Alexander Shulgin is also the first reported human to use MDMA.

How is Ecstasy Used?

Ecstasy is most often available in tablet form and is usually ingested orally. It is also available as a powder and is sometimes snorted and occasionally smoked, but rarely injected. The effects start after about 20 minutes and can last for about four to six hours. People who use...