Pursuit of Ecstasy

Jerome Beck is Co-Principal Investigator at the Institute for Scientific Analysis in Berkeley, California. Marsha Rosenbaum is the Director of the Center for Drug Studies and Principal Investigator at the Institute for Scientific Analysis in San Francisco, California. She is the author of Women on Heroin, and Just Say What: An Alternative View on Solving America's Drug Problem.

"This is the first serious study, to my knowledge, of the use and effects of MDMA in the 'real world,' as opposed to the pharmacological laboratory. The authors have done a remarkable piece of research, tracking down users, dealers, manufacturers, and other authorities on MDMA. They have analyzed their voluminous materials judiciously and carefully, and answered all of the standard questions in this area clearly and reasonably. It is a model for a research report on a problem of this kind. It explains the questions clearly, handles alternative explanations and possible counter-arguments thoughtfully and fairly, and arrives at an overall picture of the phenomenon that will add a lot to current knowledge." — Howard S. Becker, University of Washington"We all live in a drug-hysterical era, in which all aspects of all (illegal) drugs are regarded as pathological. It is refreshing to encounter a study which sets aside hysterical propagandizing (which seems to be the rule these days) and adopts a level-headed, balanced description and analysis of a particular drug scene, largely from the perspective of the demonologizing and its 'insider' approach—how users see the world, especially their use of this drug—are decided pluses. This book is remarkably rich in details about the inside workings of the 'ecstasy' scene." —Erich Goode, State University of New York at Stony Brook

• Acknowledgments 1. Introduction: Varieties of the MDMA Experience 2. Emergence of Adam and Ecstasy: Distribution and Criminalization of MDMA 3. Worlds of Ecstasy: Who Uses MDMA? 4. Attractions of the MDMA Experience: Why People Use Ecstasy 5. Limits to Use: Why People Moderate or Quit Ecstasy 6. Adverse Reactions and Abuse: When Ecstasy Becomes Agony 7. What Should Be Done About Ecstasy? Finding and Recommendations Appendix A: Theory and Methodology Appendix B: Respondent Demographics Appendix C: Respondent Drug Use: Lifetime and Current Use Appendix D: Respondent Drug Preference and Changes in Use Appendix E: National Institute on Drug Abuse Capsule on MDMA Appendix F: American Flight Guides: MDMA Instructional Pamphlets of the Early 1980s Appendix G: British Harm Reduction Pamphlets Appendix H: Rave Flyers Notes References Index