Your brain on drugs... came across this a couple of days ago via Skrufff news, interesting findings: Long Term Ecstasy Users Don't Have Brain Damage Government backed scientists in Germany published new research this week, which failed to find any significant or lasting harm to the brains of heavy ecstasy users. While the study of past and present heavy users (who averaged 827 and 793 pills respectively) uncovered tiny differences in SERT densities (relating to potential seratonin damage) between current and non-users, the differences disappeared altogether when former heavy users were compared to non users. "These results were particularly interesting in that they dramatically contradict an American study done by George Ricuarte (funded by the US government) which used similar brain scan techniques and ecstasy users with a similar level of lifetime use, but which claimed to have found massive (as much as 90%) loss of SERT," said an editorial in the hugely prestigious Journal of Nuclear Medicine. "This huge discrepancy is both unexplained and troubling, as Ricuarte's claims were used both to justify outlawing ecstasy in the US and as justification for sentencing increases," the journal added. http://jnm.snmjournals.org/cgi/content/full/44/3/375
Re: Your brain on drugs... The important bit. Hmmm and i wonder if this will get anymore than one paragraph on page 17 in the national papers.
just to add a bit of balance though two things you have to think about is just how many people were tested in both groups? There's still a possibility that both sets of findings were correct as it could affect different people in different ways. It still only really scratches the surface of something which is essentially a health issue, not a criminal one. Essentially, why is taking drugs bad and why is it it criminalised? Eating too many cream cakes is bad for you, they don't lock you down for it though do they?
When it comes down to it, no-one has done much research into the long term effects of ecstasy, and of the research that has been done is flawed because its impossible to tell what is caused by ecstasy itself and what is caused by other environmental effects that go with it. So when you see research saying that long-term ecstasy use will leave you depressed/psychotic/whatever in later life then its rubbish because no-one really knows.
personally i think it e does fuck with your head long term... I can def feel small things that I (rightly or wrongly) attribute to taking e, such as jumbled sentances, never finding the right words to describe things, not being able to talk to people as randomly and happily as I used to- and tbh it annoys the fuck out of me... wether this has anything to do with class a's is completley debatable but the majority of people I speak to agree with me... there are certain regulars at promise / shindig that ive met (especially one 'vet') that have scared the fuck out of me lookin at what a state they're in...
Anything that has such a profound effect on your normal functions, whether its good or bad - shouldnt be used to excess..... even if theres evidence, or no evidence proving whether this week its safe, or the next week it isnt. Lets face it - any government which keeps canabis illegal but sells cigarettes to 16 year olds is not to be trusted. Governments are against anything that they cant make money from.. so at the end of the day - its hard to believe what the latest "study" proved.. At the end of the day - we all know that caning it week in, week out is not a good idea - its common sense. A little of what you like does you good, so save it for special occasions. Moderation is the key... ... just my opinion
everyone is different.... every human being is different. so to be fair you really cant say how things will affect every single person can you? maybe fine with some, fatal on others. you just cant say.
agreed. i just dont see tho, if its something that doesnt affect anyone but yourself, how anyone can tell you its wrong. if your a responsible person, you should be allowed to do whatever the fuck you want with your life. i can understand cigarette smoking in offices being wrong, because that affects more than just you. but, taken within reason and responsibly, drugs like ecstasy or alcohol have no affect on anyone but yourself... just imagine. say caffeine was discovered now. that would quite probably be made illegal - it helps you do stuff artificially, and (often) makes you feel good. i saw this debate bout ecstasy on telly the other month. this woman said she believed drugs were wrong, because if 'god' had intended us to function like that, he'd have made it natural. yet she didnt mention cigarettes, alcohol, caffeine, chilli, chocolate, the list goes on... well if 'god' had intended us not to experience those things, he'd have made the chemicals inactive towards us... as for whther ecstasy use affects you long term... im certain it does. i dont know how far to go (as i thought this was a no-drugs area ) but ecstasy has made me much more open and considerate, and a lot less shy... altho it has also degraded my spelling ability slightly, and my ability to concentrate for long periods of time... also - i think its really bad that a drug that could possibly be used to help treat sufferers of post traumatic stress disorder (and other things), is not allowed to be properly researched because its illegal... if a little could help someone in need of help, who in society should have the right to say they cant have that help
