-
MDMA &
Empathogenic
Drugs
Welcome Guest! -
MDMA use survey, please contribute
- Thread starter matt6128
- Start date
sonic
Bluelight Crew
23, White, 6-8 Times a year, No, No
Age?
19
Ethnicity?
white, live in northeast USA, born in Austria
How often do you use MD**?
1-2x/ month
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem?
no
Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.?
no
19
Ethnicity?
white, live in northeast USA, born in Austria
How often do you use MD**?
1-2x/ month
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem?
no
Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.?
no
Age? 20
Ethnicity? White
How often do you use MD**? 4X/Month
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem? Nope.
Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.? Club was raided and the police took me away to the station, no detox, just had to sit there until my guardians arrived. Took one for the scene.
Ethnicity? White
How often do you use MD**? 4X/Month
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem? Nope.
Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.? Club was raided and the police took me away to the station, no detox, just had to sit there until my guardians arrived. Took one for the scene.
porslyn
Bluelighter
Age? 18
Ethnicity? Scandinavian (but i live in australia)
How often do you use MD**? Only been using for 2 months, and ive done it every weekend minus one.
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem? Not needed. Went out of concern.. Had a flu
woops.
Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.? No
Ethnicity? Scandinavian (but i live in australia)
How often do you use MD**? Only been using for 2 months, and ive done it every weekend minus one.
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem? Not needed. Went out of concern.. Had a flu
woops.Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.? No
deroxor
Bluelighter
Age? 18
Ethnicity? black-canadian
How often do you use MD**? Used to be a weekend user, but now i only do it at raves (Monthly user now)
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem? nope, ever
Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.? Never been caught.
Ethnicity? black-canadian
How often do you use MD**? Used to be a weekend user, but now i only do it at raves (Monthly user now)
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem? nope, ever
Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.? Never been caught.
Age? 19
Ethnicity? white english
How often do you use MD**? pills, very occasionaly (1ce evre 3 months), but use pure MDMA alot, and for two years did pills at LEAST 1ce a month.
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem?
Never, made even more surprising seeing that me an about 10 of my frends took pills like i said abov for 2 years and none of them ever went to hospital.
Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.?
Yes, once, for possesion of an ecstacy pill. was fined and did community service for 6 months.
Ethnicity? white english
How often do you use MD**? pills, very occasionaly (1ce evre 3 months), but use pure MDMA alot, and for two years did pills at LEAST 1ce a month.
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem?
Never, made even more surprising seeing that me an about 10 of my frends took pills like i said abov for 2 years and none of them ever went to hospital.
Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.?
Yes, once, for possesion of an ecstacy pill. was fined and did community service for 6 months.
Age? 20
Ethnicity? Caucasian
How often do you use MD**? in average twice a month
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem? no!
Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.? no!
Ethnicity? Caucasian
How often do you use MD**? in average twice a month
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem? no!
Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.? no!
PurrrinInOk
Bluelighter
Age?
32
Ethnicity?
Caucasian
How often do you use MD**?
(Prior use) Once or twice a month
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem?
No
Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.?
No
32
Ethnicity?
Caucasian
How often do you use MD**?
(Prior use) Once or twice a month
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem?
No
Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.?
No
2oclockbeanfiend
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2005
- Messages
- 595
Age? 20
Ethnicity? Caucasian
How often do you use MD**? september 2003-december 2004---11 pills total, no more than 3 on each of the 5 seperate occasions
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem? No
Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.? No
Ethnicity? Caucasian
How often do you use MD**? september 2003-december 2004---11 pills total, no more than 3 on each of the 5 seperate occasions
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem? No
Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.? No
Ever since its classification as a schedule I drug in 1985, MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine)has grown in popularity. Within the same time frame media coverage and societal scrutiny increased in a manner which is strikingly similar to recreational use and abuse patterns of MDMA, better known as Ecstasy. Media scrutiny of drugs that are viewed as dangerous and a menace to society tends to connect the drug to a particular feared group of people. For example, the crack cocaine scare of the 1980's placed crack use among poor urban minority communities. Unlike the media’s portrayal of crack users, the majority of surveyed Ecstasy users were Caucasian teenagers and young adults who are generally associated with the middle class.
The purpose of this research is to study MDMA use trends in the past ten years and determine if its increased use is an effect of over zealous and sensationalistic media representation. Another objective is to determine why this particular drug has caught the attention and invoked fear in so many Americans when it is primarily middle class Caucasian who are using ecstasy. These speculations are investigated through a number of research techniques. Scholarly journals, as well as books are used as references for statistical data and as a foundation to build upon. Also, an online survey was set up, located at www.bluelight.nu/, to determine the age, ethnicity, frequency of use and frequency of medical and legal incidences among those Ecstasy users who completed the survey.,
This research is worthwhile because our nation’s current policies regarding drug use and drug abuse result in promoting harm maximization. Hopefully this research will help to generate techniques to promote harm minimization tactics based on health sciences, compassion, and human rights. The current War on Drugs is failing. We will see that laws regarding drug use actually further perpetuate the drug problem by focusing on the “problems” caused by recreational users, while those with serious addictions are overlooked. Also, through my research I hope to expose the media as a catalyst for the increased use of a particular drug. This could potentially help to implement a change in the way the media and the public view recreational drug use.
The journal article entitled, “Drug Abuse Trends Among Youth in the United States” tracks the use and abuse trends of numerous illicit drugs, as well as alcohol and tobacco, between 1980 and 2002. The article’s primary findings report that drug abuse among teens was at it’s height in 1979 and steadily declining through the 1980's. Levels of use and abuse then increased between 1992 and 1997. Since then, drug use and abuse levels have remained relatively stable for all substances, with the exception of MDMA and GHB (gamma-hydroxy-butyrate.)
The author reports that the rising number of Ecstasy users can be summarized by stating that, among 8th 10th and 12th graders, reported levels of lifetime MDMA use nearly doubled between 1996 and 2002, reaching a peak in 2001. These reported numbers are reinforced with a corresponding increase of MDMA mentions in emergency room reports. These ER mentions of MDMA follow the same pattern of reported MDMA use, steadily rising through the 1990's and peaking in 2001. The article attributes this sharp increase of MDMA use to changing trends in the subculture of America’s youth, particularly citing the emergence and popularity of the underground rave scene into a more mainstream population’s culture.
The numerical data and statistics used to formulate these opinions can be regarded as accurate. This information comes from the same sources that the U.S. government uses to monitor drug use and abuse. Such sources include The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, the Monitoring the Future Study, the Drug Abuse Warning Network, and The Partnership for a Drug-Free America. Also, the fact that this article was published in a respected scientific journal adds to the credibility of the author’s findings. These findings can be used and interpreted with confidence to their factual accuracy.
This trend of increasing popularity and use of ecstasy among youth correlates well to the results of my MDMA use survey. Among those who responded, 44% of users were between the age of 12 and 20. This figure does not illustrate the increased use of MDMA over a long time period. However, it shows that a sizeable percentage of reported MDMA use is among teenagers and young adults. My own personal experience and observations are also in accordance with this trend. Throughout my highschool years (1999-2003) I personally witnessed an explosion in the popularity and social acceptance of Ecstasy use among my peers.
Because of my personal observations, as well as my own research, I am in complete agreement with the ideas presented in Joseph A. Bankin’s article. I regard his findings as credible and true in both theory and in practice. The following will attempt to determine and explain the cause(s) of this rapid growth of MDMA use among America’s youth.
As I have previously mentioned, the public fear of a particular drug is, more often than not, a result of associating the drug with a feared population. An article from the Penn State News attempts to explain the intense fear of Ecstasy by the American public. The article entitled, “Anti-Drug Campaigns Aim at Racial Fears”states that recent media headlines and alleged dangers associated with MDMA are a result of politicians and the media trying to scare the public.
Jenkins proposes the idea that, because synthetic drugs are predominately used by white teens, a great deal of fear has surfaced because of the stereotypes and misconceptions of previous drug scares in America. Although there was a media frenzy surrounding crack cocaine, the use of crack and the associated culture did inflict harm upon many communities. There is a belief that the tangible damage that crack cocaine caused within poor urban communities will occur in white communities with these new designer drugs. This frightens mainstream society because it is their children who are primarily using these drugs, particularly MDMA. He states that, “Designer drugs inspire so much fear not because they are uniquely dangerous, but they heighten deeply rooted public concerns about social and cultural upheaval. These panic movements scapegoat people outside the mainstream and worsen racial, class, and intergenerational conflicts.” I interpret this statement as a logical possibility. Ecstasy is feared among middle class white populations because they do not want the same perceived consequences associated with crack and other “demon drugs” to permeate their own communities.
The views expressed by Jenkins can be accredited as accurate, as he is a doctorate professor at New York University. However, he presents no real statistical data to back up his claims. This doesn’t dismiss the views as invalid, but it leaves a lot of room for interpretation and scrutiny. I personally agree with the ideas expressed in this article. They relate to and are in accordance with many of the ideas presented in the required text, Crack in America. Also, Jenkin’s observation that synthetic drugs are mainly used by white populations is in accordance with my MDMA use survey findings. I found that 86% of respondents who use MDMA identify themselves as Caucasian.
The belief that the fear associated with Ecstasy use, which leads to increased media coverage, may actually cause the number of users to rise is presented in a scholarly journal article entitled, “Ecstasy Counteroffensive Begins Amid Intense Media Attention to Drug.”
The article announces the launch of a $5 million advertising initiative designed to counteract previous media reports that portrayed ecstasy as too appealing. The objective of this advertising campaign is to educate and inform parents that their children could possibly be exposed to ecstasy. The article’s author criticizes this anti-Ecstasy campaign because he believes that spreading information about a relatively unknown subject will only spark more interest in the matter.
Because the campaign’s objective is to oppose media reports that present an appealing representation of MDMA, the advertisements are likely to offer misinformation and biased depictions of ecstasy use. The article then goes on to offer the idea that an honest Ecstasy awareness campaign would probably be more effective. In this model, Ecstasy would be presented as a fairly new drug for which the real long term effects have not been throughly researched, and therefor are still unknown.
This article acknowledges the rise of MDMA use by citing the results of the annual Monitoring the Future Survey. As we have previously seen, these figures are regarded as accurate and factual. I think the advertising tactic outlined by Simon is a much more practical way of approaching possible problems associated with rising Ecstasy use. His model would present truthful information to the public, instead of creating fear through biased reporting and the spreading of misinformation. This way, an informed public would be left to form their own views of Ecstasy based on factual information. This approach of presenting factual drug information is quite different from any current anti-drug campaign currently in effect. The article concludes by acknowledging the fact that people will continue to use Ecstasy, as well as other drugs, no matter what approach anti-drug groups take. The suggestion is made that the most effective campaign would provide truthful information on risk and compassionate treatment based on clinical experience. This harm minimization approach is a far cry from many of the current attitudes and campaigns regarding drug use.
By comparing media mentions of Ecstasy in a particular year with usage numbers for that same year, I attempt to determine if increased media representation leads to increased use. I collected this information by consulting an online archive of newspaper articles. By specifying a particular year and entering the keyword “MDMA” into the search engine, I was able to track the number of MDMA mentions in the printed news of 639 different publications from 1996 through 2001. The following graphs represent the number of MDMA mentions in the newspaper database by year and the combined percentages of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade ecstasy use, as reported by the Monitoring the Future Survey, 2002.
(don't know how to post the graphs)
As these graphs show, there is a striking similarity between the trends in reported Ecstasy use and how often it was mentioned in the printed press. Even though these trends are amazingly similar, it doesn’t necessarily prove that there is a connection. It is still possible that this is a coincidence. However, I feel confident that there is something more to this relationship besides random coincidence. The information contained within these articles, as well as in my own findings, provides a basis from which the answers to the proposed questions will be extracted.
Through my research, I have concluded that many of my initial thoughts and premonitions regarding Ecstasy use can be effectively supported with factual information. The emergence of MDMA use and the culture associated with it appeared in America at the end of the crack cocaine scare in the 1980's and early 90's. I believe that this left middle class Americans in a vulnerable position for a media scare when Ecstasy first appeared in middle class communities. Although crack cocaine and the problems associated with it were greatly sensationalized by the media, it did pose some very real problems. The exaggeration of these problems among urban communities instilled a great sense of fear among the middle class, suburban population. As Dr. Philip Jenkins proposes in his article, the middle class was in a prime position to use ecstasy as a scapegoat for the social problems that were present. People saw the media’s portrayal of the destruction of socially marginalized populations attributed to crack, and feared that Ecstasy would bring the same destruction into their communities. This is a logical assumption because, as we have previously seen, the majority of Ecstasy users are middle-class whites and suburban middle class America is predominately white.
The primary source of information regarding Ecstasy was provided to the general population through the media and government sponsored anti-drug campaigns. The relationship between the media coverage of Ecstasy and the growing fear of the drug created an ever worsening perpetual cycle. More media coverage causes greater fear and concern amongst the general population, and the media outlets feed upon this sense of fear and, in turn, give the topic even more coverage.
In Jenkins’s article, the idea that you don’t want to spread fear inducing information about a topic that is relatively unknown is briefly touched upon. In accordance with this belief, I feel that many middle class teens were given their first exposure to Ecstasy by the very groups that were campaigning to stop its use. Sending anti-drug messages to teens that call for complete abstinence often only spark interest, rather than curbing the desire to try the drug. It seems as if the descriptions of the effects of MDMA outweighed the perceived risks among a large portion of the teenage generation. I believe that a much more effective rout for informing the public of the dangers of MDMA would be to give an unbiased account of both positive and negative possible effects.
Once this seed of interest among middle class youth and fear among middle class parents was planted by the media, it began to grow at a very rapid rate. As more and more people were exposed to the allure of a new drug called “Ecstasy” by the media, the number of it’s users began to rise as a result. As the previous graphs illustrate, the number of MDMA users rose and fell in almost exact accordance with increased and decreased media coverage. While it initially appears as if the media was trying to educate the public of the dangers of a drug, by presenting misinformation regarding MDMA, the media really only caused the prevalence of Ecstasy to grow.
This concept presented by Jenkins closely relates to a personal experience of mine, which I will share. My first exposure to MDMA was through a special televised news report that was being advertised as something that every parent needs to sit down and watch with their teenage children. This program proceeded to inform me about a new drug popular among a relatively underground subculture. As a young teenager, this definitely caught my attention. However, I was given no real scientific or objective information which would allow me to form my own informed opinion of the drug. Instead, I was told by several news reporters and, eventually my mom, to stay far away from Ecstasy. As I heard more and more about Ecstasy over the following few years, my interest only grew. I finally decided to fully educate myself of the factual positive and negative effects that this drug could produce. I had my first experience of the MDMA high with no acute or long-term negative effects. Contrary to what I was told, MDMA could be used in a relatively safe and responsible manner.
These observations, as well as my personal anecdote, are signs that the current tactics used to fight drug use and abuse are in need of some serious revisions. This style of systematically instilling fear among the general public has been shown to actually perpetuate the very problems it is trying to prevent. It is time for the government to publically acknowledge this and re-examine their current drug policy. It is illogical and potentially destructive to continue enforcing a drug policy which ultimately results in harm maximization. This research also shows that the media needs to focus on other aspects regarding drug use rather than strictly focusing on the harm drugs can cause.
In the near future, I would like to see a drug awareness campaign that presents the public with unbiased information regarding the dangers of a drug and what to do if you do develop a problem with the drug. This harm reduction approach to America’s drug problem, along with the cessation of exaggeration and fear inducing journalism presented in the media will greatly reduce the number of drug users and provide potentially life saving information to drug abusers.
The purpose of this research is to study MDMA use trends in the past ten years and determine if its increased use is an effect of over zealous and sensationalistic media representation. Another objective is to determine why this particular drug has caught the attention and invoked fear in so many Americans when it is primarily middle class Caucasian who are using ecstasy. These speculations are investigated through a number of research techniques. Scholarly journals, as well as books are used as references for statistical data and as a foundation to build upon. Also, an online survey was set up, located at www.bluelight.nu/, to determine the age, ethnicity, frequency of use and frequency of medical and legal incidences among those Ecstasy users who completed the survey.,
This research is worthwhile because our nation’s current policies regarding drug use and drug abuse result in promoting harm maximization. Hopefully this research will help to generate techniques to promote harm minimization tactics based on health sciences, compassion, and human rights. The current War on Drugs is failing. We will see that laws regarding drug use actually further perpetuate the drug problem by focusing on the “problems” caused by recreational users, while those with serious addictions are overlooked. Also, through my research I hope to expose the media as a catalyst for the increased use of a particular drug. This could potentially help to implement a change in the way the media and the public view recreational drug use.
The journal article entitled, “Drug Abuse Trends Among Youth in the United States” tracks the use and abuse trends of numerous illicit drugs, as well as alcohol and tobacco, between 1980 and 2002. The article’s primary findings report that drug abuse among teens was at it’s height in 1979 and steadily declining through the 1980's. Levels of use and abuse then increased between 1992 and 1997. Since then, drug use and abuse levels have remained relatively stable for all substances, with the exception of MDMA and GHB (gamma-hydroxy-butyrate.)
The author reports that the rising number of Ecstasy users can be summarized by stating that, among 8th 10th and 12th graders, reported levels of lifetime MDMA use nearly doubled between 1996 and 2002, reaching a peak in 2001. These reported numbers are reinforced with a corresponding increase of MDMA mentions in emergency room reports. These ER mentions of MDMA follow the same pattern of reported MDMA use, steadily rising through the 1990's and peaking in 2001. The article attributes this sharp increase of MDMA use to changing trends in the subculture of America’s youth, particularly citing the emergence and popularity of the underground rave scene into a more mainstream population’s culture.
The numerical data and statistics used to formulate these opinions can be regarded as accurate. This information comes from the same sources that the U.S. government uses to monitor drug use and abuse. Such sources include The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, the Monitoring the Future Study, the Drug Abuse Warning Network, and The Partnership for a Drug-Free America. Also, the fact that this article was published in a respected scientific journal adds to the credibility of the author’s findings. These findings can be used and interpreted with confidence to their factual accuracy.
This trend of increasing popularity and use of ecstasy among youth correlates well to the results of my MDMA use survey. Among those who responded, 44% of users were between the age of 12 and 20. This figure does not illustrate the increased use of MDMA over a long time period. However, it shows that a sizeable percentage of reported MDMA use is among teenagers and young adults. My own personal experience and observations are also in accordance with this trend. Throughout my highschool years (1999-2003) I personally witnessed an explosion in the popularity and social acceptance of Ecstasy use among my peers.
Because of my personal observations, as well as my own research, I am in complete agreement with the ideas presented in Joseph A. Bankin’s article. I regard his findings as credible and true in both theory and in practice. The following will attempt to determine and explain the cause(s) of this rapid growth of MDMA use among America’s youth.
As I have previously mentioned, the public fear of a particular drug is, more often than not, a result of associating the drug with a feared population. An article from the Penn State News attempts to explain the intense fear of Ecstasy by the American public. The article entitled, “Anti-Drug Campaigns Aim at Racial Fears”states that recent media headlines and alleged dangers associated with MDMA are a result of politicians and the media trying to scare the public.
Jenkins proposes the idea that, because synthetic drugs are predominately used by white teens, a great deal of fear has surfaced because of the stereotypes and misconceptions of previous drug scares in America. Although there was a media frenzy surrounding crack cocaine, the use of crack and the associated culture did inflict harm upon many communities. There is a belief that the tangible damage that crack cocaine caused within poor urban communities will occur in white communities with these new designer drugs. This frightens mainstream society because it is their children who are primarily using these drugs, particularly MDMA. He states that, “Designer drugs inspire so much fear not because they are uniquely dangerous, but they heighten deeply rooted public concerns about social and cultural upheaval. These panic movements scapegoat people outside the mainstream and worsen racial, class, and intergenerational conflicts.” I interpret this statement as a logical possibility. Ecstasy is feared among middle class white populations because they do not want the same perceived consequences associated with crack and other “demon drugs” to permeate their own communities.
The views expressed by Jenkins can be accredited as accurate, as he is a doctorate professor at New York University. However, he presents no real statistical data to back up his claims. This doesn’t dismiss the views as invalid, but it leaves a lot of room for interpretation and scrutiny. I personally agree with the ideas expressed in this article. They relate to and are in accordance with many of the ideas presented in the required text, Crack in America. Also, Jenkin’s observation that synthetic drugs are mainly used by white populations is in accordance with my MDMA use survey findings. I found that 86% of respondents who use MDMA identify themselves as Caucasian.
The belief that the fear associated with Ecstasy use, which leads to increased media coverage, may actually cause the number of users to rise is presented in a scholarly journal article entitled, “Ecstasy Counteroffensive Begins Amid Intense Media Attention to Drug.”
The article announces the launch of a $5 million advertising initiative designed to counteract previous media reports that portrayed ecstasy as too appealing. The objective of this advertising campaign is to educate and inform parents that their children could possibly be exposed to ecstasy. The article’s author criticizes this anti-Ecstasy campaign because he believes that spreading information about a relatively unknown subject will only spark more interest in the matter.
Because the campaign’s objective is to oppose media reports that present an appealing representation of MDMA, the advertisements are likely to offer misinformation and biased depictions of ecstasy use. The article then goes on to offer the idea that an honest Ecstasy awareness campaign would probably be more effective. In this model, Ecstasy would be presented as a fairly new drug for which the real long term effects have not been throughly researched, and therefor are still unknown.
This article acknowledges the rise of MDMA use by citing the results of the annual Monitoring the Future Survey. As we have previously seen, these figures are regarded as accurate and factual. I think the advertising tactic outlined by Simon is a much more practical way of approaching possible problems associated with rising Ecstasy use. His model would present truthful information to the public, instead of creating fear through biased reporting and the spreading of misinformation. This way, an informed public would be left to form their own views of Ecstasy based on factual information. This approach of presenting factual drug information is quite different from any current anti-drug campaign currently in effect. The article concludes by acknowledging the fact that people will continue to use Ecstasy, as well as other drugs, no matter what approach anti-drug groups take. The suggestion is made that the most effective campaign would provide truthful information on risk and compassionate treatment based on clinical experience. This harm minimization approach is a far cry from many of the current attitudes and campaigns regarding drug use.
By comparing media mentions of Ecstasy in a particular year with usage numbers for that same year, I attempt to determine if increased media representation leads to increased use. I collected this information by consulting an online archive of newspaper articles. By specifying a particular year and entering the keyword “MDMA” into the search engine, I was able to track the number of MDMA mentions in the printed news of 639 different publications from 1996 through 2001. The following graphs represent the number of MDMA mentions in the newspaper database by year and the combined percentages of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade ecstasy use, as reported by the Monitoring the Future Survey, 2002.
(don't know how to post the graphs)
As these graphs show, there is a striking similarity between the trends in reported Ecstasy use and how often it was mentioned in the printed press. Even though these trends are amazingly similar, it doesn’t necessarily prove that there is a connection. It is still possible that this is a coincidence. However, I feel confident that there is something more to this relationship besides random coincidence. The information contained within these articles, as well as in my own findings, provides a basis from which the answers to the proposed questions will be extracted.
Through my research, I have concluded that many of my initial thoughts and premonitions regarding Ecstasy use can be effectively supported with factual information. The emergence of MDMA use and the culture associated with it appeared in America at the end of the crack cocaine scare in the 1980's and early 90's. I believe that this left middle class Americans in a vulnerable position for a media scare when Ecstasy first appeared in middle class communities. Although crack cocaine and the problems associated with it were greatly sensationalized by the media, it did pose some very real problems. The exaggeration of these problems among urban communities instilled a great sense of fear among the middle class, suburban population. As Dr. Philip Jenkins proposes in his article, the middle class was in a prime position to use ecstasy as a scapegoat for the social problems that were present. People saw the media’s portrayal of the destruction of socially marginalized populations attributed to crack, and feared that Ecstasy would bring the same destruction into their communities. This is a logical assumption because, as we have previously seen, the majority of Ecstasy users are middle-class whites and suburban middle class America is predominately white.
The primary source of information regarding Ecstasy was provided to the general population through the media and government sponsored anti-drug campaigns. The relationship between the media coverage of Ecstasy and the growing fear of the drug created an ever worsening perpetual cycle. More media coverage causes greater fear and concern amongst the general population, and the media outlets feed upon this sense of fear and, in turn, give the topic even more coverage.
In Jenkins’s article, the idea that you don’t want to spread fear inducing information about a topic that is relatively unknown is briefly touched upon. In accordance with this belief, I feel that many middle class teens were given their first exposure to Ecstasy by the very groups that were campaigning to stop its use. Sending anti-drug messages to teens that call for complete abstinence often only spark interest, rather than curbing the desire to try the drug. It seems as if the descriptions of the effects of MDMA outweighed the perceived risks among a large portion of the teenage generation. I believe that a much more effective rout for informing the public of the dangers of MDMA would be to give an unbiased account of both positive and negative possible effects.
Once this seed of interest among middle class youth and fear among middle class parents was planted by the media, it began to grow at a very rapid rate. As more and more people were exposed to the allure of a new drug called “Ecstasy” by the media, the number of it’s users began to rise as a result. As the previous graphs illustrate, the number of MDMA users rose and fell in almost exact accordance with increased and decreased media coverage. While it initially appears as if the media was trying to educate the public of the dangers of a drug, by presenting misinformation regarding MDMA, the media really only caused the prevalence of Ecstasy to grow.
This concept presented by Jenkins closely relates to a personal experience of mine, which I will share. My first exposure to MDMA was through a special televised news report that was being advertised as something that every parent needs to sit down and watch with their teenage children. This program proceeded to inform me about a new drug popular among a relatively underground subculture. As a young teenager, this definitely caught my attention. However, I was given no real scientific or objective information which would allow me to form my own informed opinion of the drug. Instead, I was told by several news reporters and, eventually my mom, to stay far away from Ecstasy. As I heard more and more about Ecstasy over the following few years, my interest only grew. I finally decided to fully educate myself of the factual positive and negative effects that this drug could produce. I had my first experience of the MDMA high with no acute or long-term negative effects. Contrary to what I was told, MDMA could be used in a relatively safe and responsible manner.
These observations, as well as my personal anecdote, are signs that the current tactics used to fight drug use and abuse are in need of some serious revisions. This style of systematically instilling fear among the general public has been shown to actually perpetuate the very problems it is trying to prevent. It is time for the government to publically acknowledge this and re-examine their current drug policy. It is illogical and potentially destructive to continue enforcing a drug policy which ultimately results in harm maximization. This research also shows that the media needs to focus on other aspects regarding drug use rather than strictly focusing on the harm drugs can cause.
In the near future, I would like to see a drug awareness campaign that presents the public with unbiased information regarding the dangers of a drug and what to do if you do develop a problem with the drug. This harm reduction approach to America’s drug problem, along with the cessation of exaggeration and fear inducing journalism presented in the media will greatly reduce the number of drug users and provide potentially life saving information to drug abusers.
billbuilds
Bluelighter
edit - i miss everything they should say at the beggining if the topic is closed lol
SIM-1
Bluelighter
24.
Polynesian living in australia
about once a month
never needed medical attention
No legal problems .... touch wood
Polynesian living in australia
about once a month
never needed medical attention
No legal problems .... touch wood
Electroman
Bluelighter
Age - 44
Ethnicity - of European descent
How often - about once a year nowdays, at my peak (in the 80s), several times a month.
No medical attention nor legal problems.
Ethnicity - of European descent
How often - about once a year nowdays, at my peak (in the 80s), several times a month.
No medical attention nor legal problems.
nO_iRiS
Bluelighter
Age: 19
Enthnicity: Russian, Australian Citizen, been living here for 8 years.
How often do I use MDxx: on average once a month.
Have I ever needed medical attention: No, And hope never to have to either.
Legal problems: No, never, and I hope to never have any lol
Enthnicity: Russian, Australian Citizen, been living here for 8 years.
How often do I use MDxx: on average once a month.
Have I ever needed medical attention: No, And hope never to have to either.
Legal problems: No, never, and I hope to never have any lol
Jarhead634
Greenlighter
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2005
- Messages
- 9
Age : 19
Ethnicity: Icelandtic
How often: usually about one every 1-2 months
hospitalized: no
Trouble: no
Ethnicity: Icelandtic
How often: usually about one every 1-2 months
hospitalized: no
Trouble: no
moto_stevo
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2005
- Messages
- 230
i'm 35
been trying it for 3 years........2 times a year
never had medical or legal trouble with it
been trying it for 3 years........2 times a year
never had medical or legal trouble with it
Age? 18
Ethnicity? African American
How often do you use MD**? Once every 3-4 weeks.
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem? No
Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.? No
Ethnicity? African American
How often do you use MD**? Once every 3-4 weeks.
Have you ever needed medical attention as a result of MD**? If so, what was the nature of the problem? No
Have you ever had legal problems because of MD** use? If so, were you cited, arrested, served time, etc.? No