Ecstasy

So, sitting at home today, I found myself watching a show on the History channel about hippies. Knowing alot of free love individuals myself, I was curious to really get more information. In the second hour of the show, it begins focusing on drug use and hallucinogens. One of the main topics was on the drug ecstasy. I know that this is a popular drug nowadays that I hear alot about and have noticed the rise in use in the last few years. Even among people you would never expect. From the rich soccer mom down the street, to the 8th grader in the same school as your kid, it seems like almost everyone at least knows what it is, or has tried it at some point. However, what I found myself interested in with this program was the history of where it came from. It was originally patented by a company in Germany as a dietary supplement to help lose weight, but after the patent, it was never produced. Somewhere along the line, the formula got out, and it was experimented with by the US Government on animals as a possible truth serum for chemical warfare. The drug was originally legal, and was used quietly, but fairly widespread in therapy sessions that were 5 hours long called Adam sessions. Psychotherapists were finding that one of these sessions was accomplishing as much as a whole year of therapy without it. Mostly used in couples counseling and family sessions, the effect of it gave people a feeling of closeness and trust in each other that is generally very hard to achieve and takes much longer periods of time. The way it works is that it releases loads and loads of seratonin into the brain, which is of course the chemical that gives us that happy feeling, and the cause of depression when there is a lack of it. There are of course side effects, but it seems to me these side effects can be handled in a short amount of time with only about a day of recovery, which really just includes rest and sleep. If handled properly while actually on the drug, it can be very safe as well. I'm sure you've heard of people overdosing and dying by overheating while taking ecstasy? Well, those are the people who began to abuse it and were not safe. You must apparently keep yourself very hydrated and fairly calm, because the rush of seratonin in the brain can raise your body temperature, so if you're dancing around like a lunatic, and not drinking anything, then of course, you're going to overheat. In controlled settings, there were no such side effects at all. Only a lack of seratonin the next day after the drug wears off, leaving a feeling of sadness for a few hours, which is quickly recovered with sleep and rest. The drug was even SO legal, it was marketed in bars where you could buy it over the counter in a paper cup. However, this was apparently the downfall of it, as most street drugs, it was abused, so the positive effects were overlooked. The public got scared and of course the government took over. The hearing that was held presented both sides of the case, and the judge actually ruled that it stay legal, but he was overruled by the DEA. My point is that I was shocked to find out how many illegal drugs were once legal, useful, and started out with our government experimenting with them. So, can we really blame the drug problem in our country all on ourselves and the people out there who use them? Or should we blame the originator? I'm beginning to think twice. As one man said during the program, ANY drug has the potential to kill you. The difference in harmful or helpful is the amount you take and which strain you are taking. Squeeze a couple bottles of aspirins down into one pill and take it, it will kill you. Yet one aspirin can cure a headache. Further yet, the illegalization of all these drugs has not stopped drug use, just made it more of a high to get it. Secondly, since they are not being manufactured according to original patents, they are becoming more dangerous as people find ways to make them at home with synthetic materials, making them even more poisonous. I'm not saying that I agree taking drugs is ok, I'm merely putting a little truth out there that maybe more people should know. ALL drugs are a poison, but I do agree that people should have a choice whether to poison themselves or not. Our jails are filled with people on first time, non-violent drug offenses, and there's no room for rapists and child molesters. Maybe we should cut the consequences down a bit for those who didn't harm anyone. Then some of course would argue that by allowing those people, some of them distributors, back out on the street, someone down the line of that dealer's customers will eventually hurt someone. So it's kind of a lose-lose situation. Just some food for thought, that's all.