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MDMA or Not?
Articles about the big debate


MDMA and Heroin, and Other Myths
Article by Nicholas Saunders, from Eternity Magazine, December 1994

Rumors

You've probably heard stories of E being spiked with addictive and poisonous substances.
True, when you buy "Ecstasy" there's no quality control and you may well get cocktails of other drugs,
particularly when the dealer has run out of MDMA. You may also get a dud. But not heroin or poison.

Every day the police confiscate suspect drugs which are sent to a forensic laboratory at Aldermaston specially equipped to detect drugs, and they have never come across drugs sold as Ecstasy containing heroin. People taken to hospital with possible drug problems have samples of their blood sent to the National Poisons Unit which has special equipment to detect drugs: heroin has not been found in the blood of patients reported to have taken only Ecstasy. So how did the rumours start? A year ago Time Out magazine ran a double page feature entitled "Bitter Pills", subtitled "Ecstasy has turned to agony for thousands of E users" as dealers spike tablets and capsules with heroin, LSD, rat poison and crushed glass. The story was repeated all over the place, even in a Danish newspaper.

I questioned the source quoted: Stephen Beard of the Newham Drugs Advice Project. He was elusive, and when I finally I got him on the phone would only say that the story came from a dealer who said he made fake Ecstasy by crushing light bulbs. There was no supporting evidence such as lab tests or reports from doctors who had treated users. The National Poisons Unit told me there had been no recent cases of poisoning due to ground glass or rat poison. Yet, in spite of my protests, Newham and Time Out did nothing to correct the story. Likewise, Mixmag's recent feature on Ecstasy omitted to mention the Glasgow tests showing that Ecstasy was not contaminated, even though they had the results. Mixmag also said: "300mg MDMA can kill a small girl" (the lowest lethal dose recorded in animal trials was 20mg/kilo, or 300mg for someone weighing 15kg: a very small girl); and "MDA is like strong LSD mixed with speed" (MDA has no LSD-like effects, it is similar to MDMA but longer lasting and with less warmth). Its as though no-one wants to undermine the established myths.

One of these came from a satirical song in the fifties called The Old Dope Peddler: "He gives the kids free samples because he knows full well, that today's young innocent faces will become tomorrow's clientele". Its no more likely than your local wine merchant going to the trouble and expense of injecting bottles with heroin, hoping that you will become an addict to boost his sales. True, some dealers cheat by selling any old white powder as Ecstasy, but cheats are unlikely to sell heroin at a loss or go to the trouble of crushing light bulbs.

Most of the substitutes found in Ecstasy are not harmful, but can produce unexpected effects. However, before you blame the pill, you should realise just how important is the situation and you own expectations. In fact, very few people realise and accept how much the effect of drugs like Ecstasy depends on their own situation, and state of mind at the time. My best E experience was caused by an identical tablet as one that made a friend sick and another that had no effect (at a party in an enclosed tunnel).

Remember that E is not simply a happy pill, but lowers your defences and allows you to open up. However, it may be more comfortable to remain defensive and reserved unless you are in a situation where you feel good. E can bring up suppressed feelings which you may not be prepared to face. More on situations to avoid and emotional dangers next month.

Deaths in Scotland

I have been trying to discover what caused the deaths at Hanger 13 - so as to inform people and prevent more tragedies. I have even spoken to say they know but can't tell because, mad though it seems, Scottish law prohibits them from revealing cause of death. However, the Home Office licensed Glasgow University to collect and analyse 15 samples of "Ecstasy" after the deaths. 14 were pure MDMA and one was a capsule that contained speed with just a trace of MDMA. So it seems unlikely that these deaths were due to poisons sold as Ecstasy. Incidentally, doctors who had talked to users of "Rhubarb and Custard" said they believed it contained "MDMA plus a strong hypnotic" (e.g. heroin). In fact it was pure MDMA.

A possibility, believed by the National Poisons Unit, is that these people died from overheating which has been the cause of nearly all rave deaths, particularly in clubs with nonstop hard core techno, no chill-out area and no free water. The tragedy is that those people didn't know the importance of avoiding overheating. The media love to say that people who take Ecstasy risk dropping dead without warning, but the warning is clear to those who look out for it: getting too hot. The risk can be avoided by taking breaks, cooling off and drinking plenty of water. Overheating also kills people who do not take drugs, but without drugs the discomfort is more obvious.

Another theory is that the Scottish victims took Temazapam or Valium with Ecstasy.
Reports say the two taken together can "hit you like a hammer". The lesson is:
"Don't mix E with other drugs and don't take too much too often".

http://leda.lycaeum.org/Documents/MDMA_and_Heroin,_and_Other_Myths.10607.shtml






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CHEMISTS DO NOT CUT ECSTASY WITH HEROIN OR COCAINE.

It just wouldn't make sense for many reasons, and I'll try and explain them all.

I'm not trying to pick on the author, but I'm going to break down an old post for this FAQ just because it's such a
perfect example of someone spreading basically every silly, phony rumor we try so hard here to dispel.

I think our last FAQ got a bit too technical for your average roller to understand, and was full of arguing and contradictions,
so I'm going to lay it out as best I can in an easy to understand manner.  The reply opened with:

quote:

"OK, Here is the low down I got from my dealer when I asked the same question of him. "

Okay, a good thing to understand first off. DEALERS LIE. They lie like dogs.


The truth is most dealers have NO fucking clue what is in their pills.
This is one of the reasons these myths get started, and continues to spread like wildfire. Either..

A) They're embarrassed that they don't know what's in it, so they fake it based on effects.
Do you really believe your dealer has ever seen a pill while it's being made?
The vast, vast majority of pills come from Europe, mostly Amsterdam and near there.

B) They're trying to justify a jacked up price or a strange effect.
"It's speedy coz there's coke in it man!" Well, great! Coke's expensive, right?
So what a great deal! Shyeah. It's probably cut with caffeine or ephedrine. Don't fall for it.

C) Someone lied to THEM, and they're passing it on.
In which case, your dealer was tricked by A or B. Let's move on.

quote:

"Yes Most pills unless they are in capsule form contain something else. The simple reasoning behind this is that MDMA in its purest form WILL NOT stick together to form a pressed pill without a specific binding agent. So there is one thing in "e" that is not really MDMA."

In this case, she's dead on. No E is 'pure'. (Not even most of the capsules, and don't let a dealer tell you otherwise. I've been bunked more often with capsules than pressed pills.) But E does need a binder to hold it together. However, the next paragraph is totally incorrect.

quote:

"Different pills have different types of other "filler" drugs to make the effect different.
Ever wonder why you like buddahs better than stars?? Different filler, different effect."

Fact is, most pills you eat are going to be just that -- MDMA and a binder. Binding agents have no effect.
They do not make a pill 'smacky' or 'speedy'; if a chemist overdoes it with the binder, most of the time it will just make the pill WEAK. A binder's job is to hold the pill together, or maybe make the pill big for the naive folk who think bigger = better. If there WAS a side effect, it would not be a binder, but an *ingredient*.  So now you're going to ask, 'Hold up Ashke, if that's true then what the hell IS making my pills dopey or speedy?' Because the girl is actually right when she said...

quote:

"If they were all pure MDMA they would basically feel the same, but we all know they don't."

True. There are false chemicals thrown in as MDMA. But it's not heroin, people. What IS it? Well,
I'm getting to that. But first, I'll go into what it's NOT.

quote:

"And finally, yes, there is heroin in some pills (the ones with the dark yellow and brown flecks). And Speed in others (the ones that are whiter in color and have white or extremely light yellow flecks). And a variety of other things including mescaline (derived from the peyote cactus, causes you to have visuals) and who knows what else."

First off, here's another person spreading the 'specks is heroin' rumor. You guys, this is such complete and utter total BS! I PROMISE! Sometimes it's just something in the binder, but most of the time specks is just MDMA that was not synthesized all the way, or incorrectly.


Now. Repeat after me: *deep breath*
IT MAKES NO SENSE TO MIX HEROIN OR COCAINE IN ECSTASY. AND THERE IS NO MESCALINE IN E.

Now, these statements usually earn the following BUTS:




"But my pills are trippy!"
Guess what? A very strong dose of E will make you trip kinda. It has hallucinagenic properties all by itself.
I've tripped off most of what I've considered the very best pills I've eaten.
With mescaline, you need much more of the cacti to trip than is possible to fit into a pill.
(When someone sells you a microdot and says it's mesc, they're mistaken or lying -- it's usually LSD).




"But some pills are speedy!"

If you check http://www.dancesafe.org you'll see that there's plenty that have some caffeine, effedrine, or are MDA. MDA is a chemical that's close to MDMA, except it lasts longer and it's definitely more speedy. It's also somewhat trippy. On Dancesafe we had one pill that was found to contain cocaine and ketamine, and it is causing a bit of a stir. Many people think this was sent in just to fuck with people's heads or hurt Dancesafe's credibility (since, like Bluelight, they say E does not contain heroin or cocaine). I believe it was that or just a very dumb chemist, because that pill could not have contained enough coke for someone to feel it at all unless they KNEW to crush it and snort it.
Coke does not work well when swallowed; it is not very active orally.
Before you go assuming your speedy pill has actual speed (which is VERY rarely done) or coke (which is for the most part unheard of), consider the three chemicals above, coz we find pills with caffeine, ephedrine, and MDA in them ALL THE TIME! Keep in mind that coke is NOT a drug that works well taken orally, and the pill you'd have to choke down to actually feel it would have to be pretty goddamn HUGE!



"But some pills are smacky!"
Which leads us to the big H. Which is the most widely believed -- and the most RIDICULOUS -- of the rumors. There is no heroin in E.

Remember what I said about coke and how it's not orally active? This is moreso the case with smack. You'd have to eat a big fucking *handful* to feel it, because frankly it doesn't work well at all when you try and swallow the stuff. It's meant to be slammed, chased, or snorted.
Now, it's been stated that there IS a kind of smack that exists that could be orally active. Well, it's not really smack, but sort of a synthesized heroin that doctors sometimes use... However, this stuff is EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE! It's very, very unlikely that smackheads can get their hands on this stuff,
let alone a chemist who is looking for some kind of boost to his rolls.

Which leads us to the price issue. MDMA in its chemical form is so much cheaper than coke, mescaline, or smack. It doesn't make sense that a dealer would cut with that. He would lose money. If you think they put up with the extra cost just to make a better pill for you, you are one naive little pill muncher,
and you better go back and re-read the 'Dealers Lie' paragraph. Like five times.

Also, you know how etards have these pupils the size of saucers? Smack does the opposite. They call it having 'pinned eyes' because your pupils shrink to the size of pinpricks. Next time you think you have a pill full of smack, just go look in the mirror...

Lastly, do you guys know how H feels? It's like.. this blanket on your soul. You don't care about ANYTHING. Beautiful body buzz and apathy. That's what it's about. I think the loved up feeling you have on even a dopey pill is still like the TOTAL OPPOSITE of how H feels! More often than not the 'smacky' feeling comes from a chemical called MDEA which does have a very dopey feeling, and has effects which don't last as long as regular MDMA.

To recap, in order from generally most to least common:



WHAT IS MOST OFTEN FOUND IN "ECSTASY" PILLS?
(based on chemicals present in lab-tested pills)

MDMA

Binders with no effects

MDA

MDEA

Dextromethorphan (DXM)

Caffeine

Ephedrine (a mild stimulant)

PMA (**WARNING** This feels like a roll in small doses but it is DANGEROUS,
because unlike E it is VERY easy to overdose on it!)

Acetaminophen (basically Tylenol)

Chlorpheniramine (found in cold meds; sedative effects)

Ketamine (fairly rare)

Methamphetamine (also rare)

www.bluelight.nu/ubb/Forum32/HTML/000015.html?reload=5


Anyway, enough of this. Please don't spread the rumor until you've learned more than just hearsay and second-hand rumors. Do some research on http://www.erowid.org and http://www.hyperreal.com. and http://www.djseanpaul.tripod.com Or do some research at here at http://www.bluelight.nu coz we've got some very bright cookies here on Bluelight, and the Search engine is a marvelous thing.

Hope some of you take this to heart -- or better yet,
take it back to your friends and help keep these rumors from spreading.


~*~ Ashke ~*~


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Here is a reference list describing the effects of the MDMA family of chemicals:


MDMA is uniquely empathetic.
MDA is hallucinogenic.
MDE is more intoxicating, and less conducive to conversation, more introspective.


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MDMA has several chemical "cousins" which have different effects.

MDA (3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine) - It is similar to MDMA in its effects, but is slightly more stimulating. It has been shown in laboratory studies to be approximately twice as neurotoxic as MDMA, though in some 30 years of human use, case reports do not suggest that it has caused behavioral or psychological problems. The physical side effects seem to surpass those of MDMA and MDE. Jaw clenching, upset stomach and muscle spasms are more common and more intense. MDA lasts longer and generally produces more visuals and psychedelic effects than MDMA.

MDE or MDEA (N-ethyl-methylendioxyamphetamine) - MDE is similar to MDMA, though it seems to turn the subject inwards and invite less communication than does MDMA. Usually causes fewer physiological side effects than with MDMA, but more impairment of motor skills than MDMA or MDA. MDE is slightly shorter in duration than MDMA and generally has a lower peak and less euphoria than MDMA. Unlike MDMA, there has been a single report of psychosis attributed to MDE.

MMDA (3-methoxy-4, 5-methylenedioxyamphetamine) - Often confused with the similarly named but chemically different MDMA. MMDA is reported to generate interesting, closed-eye hallucinations - "brain movies", or conscious dreams.

MBDB (N-methyl-1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-butanamine) - Differs structurally from MDMA only by the addition of an extra carbon to the MDMA chain. Effects are similar to MDA.