Just the Facts - The evils of ecstasy

Source (RCMP): http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/gazette/vol75no1/facts-faits-eng.htm

MDMA, the chemical drug that’s also known as ecstasy, was synthesized about 70 years ago to be used as an appetite suppressant. It became a hit among partygoers in the 1980s, but now, the brightly coloured pill is sought after by a wide range of users who are drawn to the feelings of euphoria and emotional warmth. But the peace and love drug also has a menacing impact on physical and mental health as well as society.

• Ecstasy is the street name for drugs that include, or are similar to, the drug methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA).
• Since MDMA is produced in clandestine labs, users can never be sure of what they’re buying. Tablets usually include the drug 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), but can also be laced with methamphetamine, ketamine, cocaine, caffeine and the diet drug ephedrine.
• Its primary dealers and buyers are suburban middle to upper-income teenagers and college students.
• In its original form, MDMA is an oily substance. It’s usually made into brightly coloured pills or capsules that resemble prescription drugs.
• Usually 30 to 45 minutes after MDMA is ingested, users can experience altered perception, anxiety, increased heart rate, psychosis, convulsions and paranoia. These effects can last up to a week after taking the drug.
• MDMA alters normal brain functions, leaving users at risk for depression, impaired memory and panic attacks.
• MDMA causes an increase in body temperature, which can be fatal for those who take it at high-energy, overheated raves or dance parties.
• Safrole, the main precursor in MDMA, is a controlled substance in Canada. Other precursors are not controlled and are imported by Canadian crime groups often from China and India.
• According to North Carolina State University, Safrole is derived from Cambodia’s mreah prov trees, and the high demand for MDMA is leading to severe deforestation.
• The oil extracted from these trees is distilled over fires, which requires huge amounts of firewood from Cambodian forests. Water near these clandestine distilleries also becomes tainted with poisonous and carcinogenic runoff.
• According to the Australian Federal Police, in 2008, more than 900 tonnes of mreah prov timber was illegally cut down by one crime group, which produced 35 tonnes of safrole. The safrole was seized by Cambodian authorities, but had the potential to yield 260 million MDMA tablets worth more than $7.6 billion.
• For every kilogram of MDMA produced, eight kilograms of toxic waste is also produced, which can pollute the local environment.
• According to the National Post, between July 2011 and March 2012, there were 19 MDMA-related deaths in British Columbia and 12 in Alberta.
• Of those 31 deaths, 13 were caused by MDMA that contained paramethoxymethamphetamine — a highly toxic drug that is considered five times more toxic than MDMA itself.
• According to the New York Times, the RCMP seized 5.2 million hits of MDMA in 2006, which was up from 1.1 million in 2004. Seventy per cent of the 2006 seizures were laced with methamphetamine.
• The RCMP’s 2009 Report on the Illicit Drug Situation in Canada states that Canadian-based organized crime groups made enough MDMA to meet the domestic demand. They also provided significant quantities for international markets such as the United States.
• Before 2004, most of the MDMA that was available in Canada was made in the Netherlands. Now, Canada is recognized as one of the main producers of the synthetic drug, with most production, trafficking and exportation happening in British Columbia.