MDMA is more dangerous in the US than in Europe, according to experts

Various experts have concluded that MDMA purity levels are dangerously low in the United States compared to Europe, with many users unknowingly ingesting research chemicals when they think they are taking molly or ecstasy.

The contrast of purity levels in the US and Europe is vastly disproportionate as European countries are currently seeing an influx of high potency ecstasy, while 30 to 60 per cent of ecstasy in the US contains very little to no MDMA.

Taking drugs is always risky, but knowing what is being ingested is of the utmost importance. If someone takes a pill that they think carries MDMA, when in fact it is filled with a research chemical, the risks are amplified.

Adam Winstock, an addiction psychiatrist and founder of the Global Drug Survey, told the Guardian that drug users in the US have no idea what pure MDMA is like.

“People in the US have good prescription drugs, are moderate drinkers, smart cannabis users, but poorly discerning MDMA users. The market has been adulterated for so long they wouldn’t know good MDMA if it smacked them on the head.”

A Drug Enforcement Agency spokesperson revealed they actually rarely see MDMA anymore, but instead see a host of synthetic drugs.

The various substances that could be found in an ecstasy pill these days are mainly synthetic cathinones like methylone, butylone and ethylone (aka bath salts). The effects of such substances are often made to seem like MDMA. Pills can also consist of ketamine, methamphetamine, PMA or PMMA and alpha-PVP, also commonly referred to as flakka.

A drug-testing program called EcstasyData tested 528 samples of ecstasy in 2015, revealing 111 different substances. Many of these new substances lack the extensive amount of research that is currently available for MDMA, making these pills that much more dangerous.

Mitchell Gomez, national outreach director of DanceSafe, says many users tend to refer to their own personal research before determining their dosage, which can lead to the safest possible experience.

“It’s very clear that people are taking a lot of very new research chemicals thinking they are MDMA. If someone concludes that they are willing to take a particular drug, then it’s important that what they put into their body is what they’ve been researching”.

With information like this available, and more drugs reaching the market, it’s clear that education on what people put into their bodies is more important now than ever.

[via: The Guardian]

Harrison is Mixmag's East Coast Editor. Follow him on Twitter here