4. Ecstasy
Street names: XTC, Elephants, Pink superman, Pills, Cadillac
Ecstasy, or 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), is a synthetic hallucinogenic drug. Although ecstasy has lost its popularity, and the global “ecstasy” market has been on a decline for some time, according to UNDOP, 18.79 million people used MDMA. It was synthesized in 1912, and it was later used by the US Army in psychological warfare tests, and as a psychotherapy medication to “lower inhibitions.” It was only in the 1980s that the drug was banned. Ecstasy increases the release of three neurotransmitters: serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrin. Its effects are mostly due to the increase of serotonin, which controls mood, sleep, appetite, memory, and perceptions.
