In the year 1998, there were approximately 1.2 million ecstasy pills coming into the United States which increased ten fold by the year 1999, bringing in 12.1 million tablets. It is the most widely used drug next to marijuana among young adults and dominates the rave and club scene. Ecstasy is a 'psychedelic amphetamine' that has gained popularity over the past 20 years because of its ability to produce strong feelings of comfort, empathy, and connection to others. MDMA use is closely tied to the underground rave (and dance club) scene throughout the world, but has also been widely used by therapists as an adjunct to psychotherapy. Ecstasy is a semi synthetic compound called methylenedioxy methamphetamine or MDMA. Often, the drug is referred to as E, X, the hug drug, or rolls. It usually comes in the form of small, pressed pills, though also available as loose powder and sometimes in capsules. Tablets are taken orally and one pill contains an active dose. For many non-regular users, half a tablet is sufficient. There are thousands of pill labels, each looking different, that come and go: Y2K's, Mitsubishi's, Clovers, Zorro’s, Rockets, etc. However, these generally mean little since quality can, and generally does, vary considerably between batches. Well-known brand names are also the most counterfeited. MDMA was patented as long ago as 1913 by the German company Merck. Rumor has it that the drug was sold as a slimming pill along with comic descriptions of its strange side effects, although it was never marketed and the patent doesn't mention uses. The next time it came to light was in 1953 when the US army tested a number of drugs for military applications - again, folklore says it was tried as a truth drug, but there is no evidence for this. The father of MDMA - or 'stepfather' as he describes himself - is Alexander Shulgin. After obtaining a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, Shulgin ...
