Ecstasy group

If the period examined were expanded to 2000-2005, the share of methamphetamine would account for 49 per cent, clearly ahead of non-defined amphetamines (23 per cent), amphetamine (15 per cent) and ecstasy (14 per cent). (The category ecstasy seizures comprises the whole ecstasy group, i.e. seizures of MDMA, MDA and MDME, though the bulk, more than 90 per cent of ecstacy seizures, comprise MDMA.)... 

ATS include the amphetamine-group substances, consisting of methamphetamine and amphetamine, and the ecstasy-group substances, consisting mainly of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy or MDMA), 3,4-methylene-dioxyamphetamine (MDA), 3,4-methylenedioxy-A-ethylamphetamine (MDEA), and A-methyl-l-(3,4 methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-butanamine (MBDB)(UNODC, 2009). 

There have been nearly 80 deaths in the UK related to Ecstasy use. Why this particular group of people died when so many others have also taken the drug is... 

Table 6.2. Novice, moderate, and heavy recreational Ecstasy/MDMA drug users (1-9, 10-99 and +100 lifetime occasions). Percentage of each group reporting problems when drug-free, which they attribute to the use of Ecstasy. 

Methylenedioxy compounds such as piperonyl butoxide are used to make insecticides more effective by inhibiting the insect enzymes that inactivate the insecticide (Fig. 8.21). Some drugs such as paroxetine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy) also contain this functional group. 

However, MPPP is sometimes contaminated with the side reaction product l-methyl,4-phenyl-l,2,3,6-tetra-hydropyridine (MPTP), which produces a parkinsonian syndrome through nigrostriatal lesions. Several substituted derivatives of amphetamine have also been called designer drugs. The most widely known of this group is the hallucinogen MDMA (ecstasy). 

While raves have become increasingly popular, Ecstasy use is not limited to these events and situations. Many people report using Ecstasy in small groups of friends. People are sometimes introduced to Ecstasy by a friend or a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend who has tried it and wants others to join. These things may happen at small parties on Saturday nights or with one or two people on a weekday afternoon. Some people only later discover the rave scene. Also contributing to the problem is the fact that Ecstasy, because it is so available these days, is perhaps even easier for teens to get than alcohol. 

Another striking characteristic of chronic Ecstasy use is an impairment of memory. More than 20 independent research groups have found memory deficits associated with Ecstasy use. These deficits are directly related to the loss of serotonin neurons that accompanies chronic Ecstasy use, such that the greater the loss... 

Philadelphia, Pa.—Newly organized Russian and Israeli Ecstasy sales groups reported. 

Figure 5.3 Percentages of persons aged 12-25 reporting Ecstasy use in the past year, by race/ethnicity and age group. Use of Ecstasy is highest in Whites and Asians. Use of Ecstasy is also prevalent in other ethnicities, however. Ecstasy use, in general, is higher in the 18-25 age group.

Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), including amphetamines, methamphetamine and ecstasy, remain the second most widely consumed group of substances. Over the 2005/6 period 25 million people are estimated to have used amphetamines (including methamphetamine) at least once in the previous 12 months, about the same as a year earlier. An estimated 9 million people used ecstasy over the 2005/6 period, down from 10 million in 2004/5. Declines in ecstasy use occurred primarily in North America. 

N=43.4 mt), methamphetamine accounted for 40 per cent, amphetamine for 30 per cent and non-specified amphetamines 1 for 18 per cent. The amphetamines as a group, constituted 88 per cent of all ATS seizures, with ecstasy accounting for the remaining 12 per cent. 

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