DRUGS, when used properly, can advance the field of science and medicine beyond what humans ever dreamed possible. There have been many drugs that, when manufactured and made available to the public, have saved and improved lives. On the other hand, when drugs are placed in the wrong hands, they can be a potent and deadly force. Those who abuse drugs often give the drug that they are using a bad reputation, and by doing so, they can cause the drug to become so taboo that it eventually is made illegal. This is exactly what happened to ecstasy, and it was wrong that the abusers of a controlled substance ruined the opportunity of access for those who actually needed the drug. Now that the FDA has allowed scientists to continue in their research on ecstasy's positive elements, the American public must not fight the legalization of it.
Ecstasy is known in the medical field as Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA. It is synthetic and it is considered a stimulant. If it is taken in strong enough doses, MDMA can cause hallucinations. Created in 1912, it usually is taken orally and lasts for approximately four to six hours. While it is not extremely addictive, it still can be potent when taken abusively. Symptoms of an overdose on this drug are high blood pressure, tremors, seizures and heart attacks. In certain cases, an overdose can be fatal.
In the 1970s, ecstasy was not widely used as a recreational drug. Instead, psychiatrists had been legally using the drug for quite some time to help those with post-traumatic stress disorder. Rape victims, incest victims and veterans of war were able to uncover their repressed feelings through supervised use of the drug. Reportedly, those who had taken the drug experienced an expulsive moment, in which the inner stress was released in a burst. Thus, while these people would otherwise suffer from post traumatic stress disorder for their whole lives, the therapy coupled with this drug allowed them to get a fresh start.
By the late 80s and early 90s, patients began distributing their prescriptions to others. This led to the eventual use of MDMA for recreational purposes, and it became the drug of choice for ravers, denizens of the late night techno club scene. As a result, the United States immediately banned the drug, and no further testing was done on its positive capabilities.
This may soon change. Last Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration made the decision to allow people to test the drug as an aid in curing post-traumatic stress disorder. If approved by the Medical University of South Carolina, the tests conducted will subject 12 people to MDMA.
The medical field ought to be commended, and the American public should support such efforts to legitimize MDMA. The bans on MDMA should be lifted in this country. Banning the drug only furthers its illegal transport across our nation's borders. The mere fact that MDMA is an illegal and taboo drug adds to its appeal. Just as the end of Prohibition decreased organized crime by making alcohol legal in this country, ecstasy-related crime would decrease if the drug were legalized. If America acknowledges the drug's capabilities to do positive things, a great deal of the mystique surrounding it would disappear.
|
The more prominent reason why MDMA should be legalized is that permitting abusers of drugs to render them unusable for good is terrible precedent. At one time, this drug was used widely by many psychiatrists in therapy, and it was only banned from the market because of the drug abuse that occurred. There is no reason why a drug or any other human convenience ought to be taken off of the market due to the stupidity and irresponsibility of others.This is not fair to the traumatized victims who see this drug as an answer to their problems but are deprived of it because of a law that protects the weak and self-serving addicts among us. Lester Grinspoon, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, speaks praise of MDMA, and says, "It enhances one's capacity for insight and empathy, and melts away the layers of defensiveness and anxiety that impedes treatment. In one session, people can get past hang-ups that take six months of therapy to untangle" (www.spiritplants.com).
Nevertheless, the mere mention of the word "ecstasy" conjuresnegative images, and for the American public to continue thinking of MDMA as a bad thing is promoting a stereotype. There is a correct way and a wrong way to handle substances such as these. A line of distinction needs to be drawn between proper and improper uses of the drug, and only by doing this can the benefits of using MDMA for medicinal purposes be readily and widely accepted.
(Kevin James Wong's column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at kwong@cavalierdaily.com.)
Read More
EDITORIAL: Carla Williams deserves her seat at the table
By Editorial Board | 13 hours agoLooking beyond basketball and football reveals that Virginia Athletics is, in many ways, thriving.
UPADHYAYA: The Great and not-so-Good sides of U.Va.’s 2030 housing plan
By Apal Upadhyaya | 2 days agoInstead of improving the dire state of existing infrastructure, however, the University has shifted attention away from it and chosen to expand.
EDITORIAL: Support low-barrier shelters in Charlottesville
By Editorial Board | 3 days agoInvesting in low-barrier shelters now will pay off in increased stability for the homeless, which will undoubtedly improve the safety of shelters and the community writ large.
