MDMA, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, "Ecstasy,"

To my cites     hallucinogen

• 1912 Merck Pharmaceuticals invents MDMA.

• 1953 Army tests conducted secretly with MDMA.

• 1970 MDMA used in therapy.

• 1978 First study on effects of MDMA.

• 1980 Ecstasy popular as a club drug.

• 1982 Neurologist George Ricaurte begins his research.

• 1985 Ecstasy made illegal by Drug Enforcement Administration.

• 2001 Food and Drug Administration approves MDMA therapy test, to begin in mid-2002.

• 2002 Ecstasy ranks behind only alcohol and marijuana as the most-abused drug in the U.S.(1).

Merck chemists discovered MDMA in 1912(2).It was created as an intermediate chemical in the process to synthesize a drug to stop bleeding (3). MDMA is a methamphetamine analogue and has hallucinogenic, psychostimulant, and multiple behavior-altering prosperities(4).

In 1953 the Army tested MDMA to see if it could be used as an agent in psychological warfare(5). This research yielded no significant results and its use for this purpose was abandoned(6).

A Californian chemist named Alexander Shulgin introduce a therapist friend to MDMA in 1977. MDMA quickly became popular with west coast psychotherapists because of its empathic effects(7).

The First report of research on the effects of MDMA on humans was released in 1978. It reported, "an easily controlled altered state of consciousness with emotional and sensual overtones."(8).