I'm against children using any (non-medical) drugs.
and are convinced it is harmful as the preponderance of respected medical opinion is that it is dangerous to health and for this reason it is a crime to distribute.
Doctors will tell you that alcohol and tobacco are dangerous to health; should they be illegal?
Like most medical reserach, there are those pro and con on conclusions. The following is what I have gleaned from various studies and bulletins on this dangerous drug. Some of this comes from just typing in the words: Ecstasy-harmful-effects under the google search engine.
The bulk conclusions are these:
Harmful effects of Ecstacy include: panic attacks, paranoid states, episodes of confusion, permanent visual changes, depression and the risk of psychotic illness. Deaths have occured from its use mainly due to overheating (hypothermia). Some medical opinion is that the drug causes pernament damage to the heart and liver although I saw no data on the backup.
I typed in www.schziophrenia.com and got the following: "Users of Ecstasy are prone to panic attacks, depression, and psychotic illness. The finding was reported to the health minister (in the UK) from scientists on the Advisory Council on Misuse of Drugs. The report stated, " ... Ecstacy can be very damaging to your physical and mental health." The unpredictable harmful effects of ecstasy include epileptic fit, panic attacks, paranoid states, episodes of confusion, permanent visual changes, depression and the risk of psychotic illness. Ecstasy has been linked to 60 deaths (in the UK). The drug has been suggested to cause direct damage to the liver and heart."
I followed the link to www.angelfire.com and received the following:"MDMA is also related in structure and effects to methamphetamine. Methamphetamine has been shown by the Chicago researchers to cause degeneration of neurons containing the neurotransmitter dopamine. Damage to these neurons is the undelightful cause of the motor disturbances seen in parkensons disease."
Followed this with http://sano.camh.net and got the following opinion on their info bulletin:" There is extensive evidence in animals that recreational doses of Ecstasy can cause permanent neurological damage.
Higher doses of Ecstasy may intensify the negative effects described above and possibly produce a distortion in perception, thinking or memory. It also may produce psychosis, paranoia, hallucinations, and long lasting bouts of anxiety or depression in susceptible users.
Johns Hopkins report headline is:" Recreational Use of Ecstasy Causes New Brain Damage Trend to sequential doses of popular drug can have long-term lasting effects" You are no doubt aware that this was not a single man's effort at this prestigious University. The researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that doses of the popular recreational drug Ecstasy similar to those that young adults typically take during all-night dance parties cause extensive damage to brain dopamine neurons in nonhuman primates. Contributiong to the study were Jie Yuan, George Hatzidimitriou, Branden J. Cord and Una D. McCann, all from Johns Hopkins. The study was funded by the U.S. Public Health Service.
My own opiunion is that Johns Hopkins is one of the most highly respected medical research organizations in the world....a level I think not yet achieved in the South Florida medical circles.
There are just too many respectible medical people who conclude that this drug is very dangerous.