Think You Know What You’re Putting Into Your Body? Think Again

Someone went ahead and tried 25,700 ecstasy pills from various festivals around the world, and recorded the results. If anything, it’s shown that those who take ecstasy probably have no idea what they’re actually taking. Did you know that in the past 18 years, the US has seen a whopping 763% increase in psychostimulant-related deaths? In fact, the strength of ecstasy has increased up to 5 times in the past few years, alone!

Pure ecstasy is supposed to contain a sole ingredient of MDMA. However, dealers often add in more dangerous chemicals designed to give a similar effect. These “extras” may seem harmless, but they have the power to kill. The White House National Drug Control Strategy produced a report in 1999, revealing that 563 people died from psychostimulants. This rate remained someone constant until the year, 2001. However, ever since 2002, that rate has exploded, with the year 2005 reaching just over 1,500 deaths. In 2014, the US reported a shocking 4,300 deaths related to these substances.

Who’s The Primary Consumer?

We probably all know someone who has consumed ecstasy. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, over 10% of young adults aged 18 to 25, have consumed the substance. Children aren’t left out, either. Almost 7% of children 12 and up have tried the drug at least one time.

One time is enough to produce dangerous results. In the summer of 2016, three 12-year-olds were put in the hospital after taking a type of ecstasy popular among kids their age, commonly known as “teddy tablets”. It’s not just school kids either that are being hospitalized due to consuming these variants. Last year, the White House found that over 22,000 people had been put up in the hospital due to related symptoms (anxiety, nausea, vomiting, heart issues). Adulterated pills masquerading as pure MDMA can cause serious health problems, such as seizures, strokes, and unfortunately, even death.

Who’s Making These Pills?

In comparison with the rest of the world, European countries sold the purest, with an average 67.1% purity rate (the Netherlands coming in first with 68.8%). Next, was the UK with 40.5%, and the US was third with 34.7%. Australia, Canada, and Turkey were the worst, with their pills coming in around 16.1%, 25%, and 29%.

Let’s dig a little bit deeper into the ingredients, now. Have you heard of MDxx? Well, you may have consumed it. MDxx is very similar in structure to pure MDMA, and if you test it, most kits won’t pick up that it’s any different than MDMA. By now, it probably comes as no surprise that Australia had the highest rate of MDxx pills at 31.6%, with Turkey and the UK at 23.2% and 21.4%. The US was the lowest of these, with a 20.9% rate.

However, it goes much deeper than this. In just the United States, more than one in six pills contained substances that scientists couldn’t even identify. More than 8% of the pills contained some combination of MDxx and amphetamines (typically meth/speed). And in Turkey, 1.6% of their pills contained PMA, which is para-methoxyamphetamine. PMA replicates ecstasy’s effects, but are extremely dangerous – up to 10x more deadly. If you consume PMA, you could be in some real trouble.

The vast majority of those who consume ecstasy are actually consuming something else too – a potentially dangerous combination. With more and more people consuming the substance, something needs to be done; either better, more precise testing, or some kind of crackdown and regulation on the substance. But in the meantime, if you’re someone who plans on consuming ecstasy, take precaution.