Ecstasy is bad for you - new study

Publication title: Edmonton Sun (CN AB)
Publication date: May 17, 2000
Document type: News
Transcribed by: MW

London (AP) – Even light weekend use of the party drug Ecstasy might harm intelligence, a new study suggests.

German scientists report that weeks after partying, those who used Ecstasy along with marijuana performed worse on intelligence tests than people who just smoked pot or took no drugs at all. Their results are reported in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

Ecstasy, a hybrid of the hallucinogen mescaline and the stimulant amphetamine chemically knows and MDMA, has been popular among young clubgoers in Europe for years and recently has become increasingly widespread in the United States and Canada.

Previous studies have suggested the drug can cause a long-term decrease in a brain chemical involved with thought and memory. Other research has indicated Ecstasy can impair brain function, but mostly investigated people who used it more often or with other drugs.

In the latest research, scientists at the University of Aachen in Germany also assessed a broader range of cognitive functions than any study to date.

Alan Leschner, director of the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, said the study provides the first clear demonstration of what was predicted from earlier studies linking the drug to changes in the brain.

“If your brain is getting zinged, then you ought to have some kind of deficit in cognitive ability, and here it is,” Leschner said. “There is this misconception that it’s a benign, fun drug, and it’s not.”