Ecstasy and Chemical Warfare
The acute and chronic irreversible damaging effects of amphetamines
and of its methylated form "Ecstasy" (MDMA) have been described
for the past 20 years in authoritative U.S. and British Medical journals
(reviewed by Ellenhorn, Medical Toxicology, Elsevier 1988, 1997, pp.
340-355 with 128 references). One may wonder why these drugs remain
the most popular ones used by American youth. MDMA, a neurotoxic
substance, produces acute and chronic brain damage, impairment of fetal
development, heart failure and sudden death as well as violent and
aggressive behavior in experimental animals and man, with a fatal outcome.
These effects are also produced by cocaine.
The basic molecular mechanisms of action of MDMA on the brain, which lead
to violent behavior, have been scientifically proven and a diagnostic test
has been developed which allows for the detection of MDMA in fat; the
magnitude of this measurement is an index of violent behavior. An
antidote to this drug has been developed. The use of MDMA in the
fifties and sixties by the youth of Sweden and Japan led to an
"epidemic" of aggressive and destructive behavior in the 1970s,
an epidemic curtailed only by a strict enforcement of interdiction of
these drugs.
The lethal effects of MDMA have not been brought to the attention of the
pubic by the specialized government agencies -- the National Institute on
Mental Health (NIMH), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the
Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), or by the Institute of
Medicine. It is reported that the Food and Drug Administration is now
considering a study that would use ecstasy as a medical treatment for
patients addicted to MDMA, inspite of its Schedule I status (no medical
application, to be entirely interdicted from consumption).
Lastly, amphetamine derivatives, like MDMA, may be used to induce criminal
behavior including homicide and pre-planned suicide tactics such as those
practiced in the performance of terrorist attacks including those
perpetrated against America and other countries.
It is paradoxical that those who are attempting to destroy American
civilization may also use ecstasy, the "happiness" drug of
western youth, as a deadly chemical warfare weapon. This paradox is
compounded by the fact that U.S. law bans the use of ecstasy.
Gabriel G. Nahas, M.D., Ph.D.