Ecstasy Rising – Peter Jennings
If you missed the program, go to my latest post and watch the show via Real Player.
ABC press release: The rise of Ecstasy is a major event in drug history. If current trends continue, 1.8 million Americans will try Ecstasy for the first time in 2004; only marijuana
will attract more new users. Overwhelming, positive word of mouth has made Ecstasy a nightmare for drug controllers. On a special edition of ‘Primetime Thursday’ Peter Jennings tells the epic story of Ecstasy that has never been heard.
But this is a claim based on flawed science, and many Ecstasy users now feel their government has no credibility. What do we know about the real risks of Ecstasy? Has the government been its own worst enemy in the fight to stop the drug’s use? Peter Jennings Reporting: ‘Ecstasy Rising’ takes viewers through the seminal events in this story and introduces all the major players — from Alexander Shulgin, the famous chemist who was the first person to report the effects of Ecstasy, to Michael Clegg, the Dallas businessman who gave Ecstasy its name and turned it into a recreational drug, to the drug enforcement officer who led the fight to make Ecstasy illegal, to the DJ who brought Rave to America. This special tells the definitive story of how an obscure compound, discovered in 1912 and all but forgotten for over 60 years, became the drug of choice for a generation.
Still no long term negative effects known about MDMA….Nice to know that not much has changed in TEN years…
The ABC news program on Ecstasy was very well done and one of the better anti-drug programs I’ve seen in a long time. For me the one-two punch of seeing the after effects on the sad and creepy Ecstasy users they interviewed (where DID they find them?), and, the medical studies showing brain damage was very sobering. A good follow-up report on why some people seem predisposed to self-destructive behaviors like illegal drug use would be entertaining and educational as well.
Until I watched this program I believed that ectasy put holes in your brain. Just shows you how people blindly believe whatever the government says or a “scientific study” funded by the gov. There is no solid evidence that shows that ecstasy is harmful.
The only thing that actually makes it harmful is the fact that the gov. made it illegal; Promoting undergound E that is mixed with speed or other dangerous drugs. Criminals are the only ones benefiting from the fact that it is illegal; while at the same time the gov. is spending millions or OUR dollars to try to prove that it is bad for you! Why not make it a legal drug and tax it? Make laws for it like there are laws for alchohol. Make it a 21 and up drug.
In any case misinforming the public about this drug is just plain wrong. Tell people the whole truth and let them decide. THATS WHAT DEMOCRACY SHOULD BE ABOUT!!!
Sounds like our goverment is at it again. Everyone thats in jail for it should be turned loose. And the ones that lied to the public about it should get life in jail. People die from eating peanuts. Is peanuts illegel? If freedom is outlawed only outlaws will have freedom. Do you understand?
Ecstasy Rising blew me away. Somebody finally has the guts to say it…there just may be some illegal drugs that have beneficial effects. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop during this profound special(this is American television..it has to have a negative take on drug use, right?) it never happened. Good for ABC and Peter Jennings.
An earlier post on this site by shawnp says, among other things “one of the better anti-drug programs I’ve seen in a long time”.
what show did this person see?
Right on Peter!! Screw the freakin government! They seem to make so many things worse for this country. I was absolutely shocked at that report last night. I can’t believe all the bull I believed about ecstacy! I must say I am very glad that it’s all not true about the holes in the brain. I believed that one. But I must say, I never heard of the Parkinsons one. That’s just hilarious! People are pathetic.
I just had a thought, if we could legalize pot and tax it, we could use that money and make health insurance free for everyone!! How good of a plan is that??!! I wish that ecstacy could be legal, but it never will be. But then again, their are many people out there that take the drug too much. I think that every person should try it at least once in their life. It could change the way you look at life. Just make sure that you purchase a test kit online since the government made it harmful to us by making it illegal. I wish that people would just stop cutting it with different, aweful things. … I wonder if Peter Jennings ever tried it. If not, I bet he’s interested now. After watching that, I don’t see how anyone wouldn’t want to try it. I bet he’s going to hear an earful of angry people though. Oh well. Good job on the report!
This program was unbelievable. I hope they rebroadcast it soon. Though I’m not surprised by our gov’ts trickery and lies, I’m truly amazed at the process that the DEA had to go through to get the drug criminalized. Seems to me that the DEA just decided, “this is a problem”, proceeded to make it a Schedule 1 drug and started arresting citizens the next day. Is that democracy in action? That’s more like martial law if you ask me. The DEA needs to be reprogrammed to actually jail people who are harmful to society, I’m sick of living in a country with it’s own little drug gestapo picking on autonomous citizens. If you don’t care what they do to those druggies? Wait ’til they come for you.
I applaud Peter Jennings for doing such a solid job and presenting this arguement in such a fair, balanced way. That is what real news reporting looks like. Well done!
i am so glad that this newfound research has exploited the govts lies. i know many social ecstasy users who stopped because of the fear of memory loss and holes in the brain. granted these people were straight A students working professionals, right out of college. keeping ecstasy underground causes more voilence and health problems, with the crap that mobsters cut it up with. something so good is now so bad. i agree with IM kingdom, if X was legal, the govt could tax it and keep it limited to those 21 and up and make sure it is clean, etc… great job ABC for this awesome program! I know MAPS is alos doing a lot of research to prove that E has beneficial effects, too!
Hey dudes at ABC.. that was a great infomericial on ecstasy…i’m very excited to try estasy but not sure where to purchase illegal drugs…when is ABC coming out with their own superpure effective hug-drug ecstasy? I must have been out of the room taking my cookies out of the oven when you posted the 800 number. Do i get free shipping with my order?
Thank you Peter Jennings!! It is so great to hear an unbiased evaluation of ecstasy with the whole history of the drug to go along with it. I’ve used ecstasy many a time and since then I’ve been a straight A college student…hmmm, I don’t feel braindead! Although I do think that overdoing ecstasy, or alcohol, or any drug, is not a good thing and could cause some damage, everyone should try ecstasy at least once–maybe the world would be a little bit more compassionate and tolerant…
There was a posting earlier by shawnp, stating that “the medical studies showing brain damage was very sobering.” What the hell were you watching?? The whole point of showing that research was to show that it was faulty and NOT TRUE…were YOU sober when you watched this??
all i know is i used to drink all the time and eat way to many painkillers before i started using ectasy, now i harldy ever drink never take painkillers just eat ectasy on the weekends and feeling better and in better shape now.