PMA from, or in MDMA ?
The confusion arrises from the fact that PMA is used as a marker when profiling MDMA.
If an MDMA product was made from commercially available, very pure froms of iso or ketone, then there will be no PMA present. Same if piperonal is used as a starting material. No matter how the synthesis is fucked up, NO PMA will be produced.
However, when safrole is used as a starting material, and that safrole came from sassafras, then there will be some ( a very samll amount of ) PMA produced.
This is simply because sassafras oil also has small amounts of anethole in it. As this cannot be removed by distilling the safrole (same bp), it must be done in following stages of the synth. Unless advanced forms of purification are employed (read - *never done*) some tiny amount will get through to the final product.