Ecstasy Experiences Questionnaire
Dr Harry Sumnall Post-doctoral researcher, Department of Psychology, University of Liverpool (UK)
http://www.liv.ac.uk/Psychology/Participation/Ecstasy/Ecstasy-Experiences.htm
This is a copy of the research questionaire .pdf http://www.liv.ac.uk/Psychology/Participation/Ecstasy/E-EXPpap.pdf
Ecstasy Testing Kit Questionnaire
http://www.liv.ac.uk/Psychology/Participation/Ecstasy/testing.htm
Dr Jon Cole
Department of Psychology
Eleanor Rathbone Building,
Bedford Street South,
Liverpool,
L69 7ZA
Telephone: +44 (0) 151 794 2175
Fax: +44 (0) 151 794 2945
Email:j.c.cole@liverpool.ac.uk
http://www.liv.ac.uk/Psychology/DeptInfo/StaffProfile/JCole.html
I found a discussion of all this, in article in the Daily Mirror.!!! Quite suprising really.
Ecstasy is not dangerous!!! From the Daily Mirror
IT is a little white pill which causes brain damage, an early onset of Alzheimer’s Disease and, occasionally, a toxic reaction leading to a slow and agonising death.
At least that is the accepted view of ecstasy in the UK. But the reality is proving to be different, with people statistically more likely to die taking paracetamol, or eating a peanut.
Three leading psychologists provoked outrage by claiming ecstasy may not be dangerous and many of its dangers are imagined.
Dr Harry Sumnall, of the University of Liverpool, said previous research was flawed. He said: “The current methods do not let us make cast-iron statements about whether it is dangerous or not.”
The psychologists said studies of ecstasy users were riddled with errors and researchers guilty of bias – with some minimising the impact of data which suggested ecstasy had no long-term effects.
They said the supposed long-term effects may be iatrogenic, meaning symptoms could be put into the mind of the patient after suggestion by a doctor.
Around two million pills, costing as little as £1 each, are taken every weekend in Britain.
It is believed more than 90 per cent of clubbers regularly take the drug – even though last year there were reported to be 40 ecstasy-related deaths, ranging from allergic reaction to severe dehydration.
Leah Betts was one of 72 people who died between 1993 and 1997 after taking the drug.
During the same period, around 275,000 people died from smoking or alcohol-related illnesses.
Danny Kushlick, director of the drug charity Transform, said: “Yesterday’s report is a breath of fresh air in a policy area that is morally and politically muddied.
“What happened to Leah Betts was a tragedy but people are more likely to die from eating peanuts than ecstasy. If you see someone dying from an allergic reaction it is unbelievably awful, just as Leah’s death was.
“It leaves you with two choices – you either shock people into not taking it or you control it and make its use as safe as possible.
“The first option hasn’t worked because millions of people in Britain take it every weekend. The second idea is, I believe, the best.
“Make no mistake, I believe ecstasy can be dangerous but that is why it should be legalised.
“We need sensible debate. People aren’t dying necessarily because they take ecstasy, they’re dying because they are ignorant of its effects and the Government is hiding its head in the sand. Debate is stifled and it costs lives.”
In 1999, 26 people died after taking ecstasy, compared with 754 from heroin or morphine, 267 from paracetamol and 87 from cocaine.
Roger Howard, 40, chief executive of the charity DrugScope, agreed that the number of deaths could be reduced if ecstasy was decriminalised and controlled. He said: “This research underlines previous opinion that much of the evidence around ecstasy is not as reliable as it could be.
“It reinforces the need for the Home Secretary David Blunkett to refer the classification of ecstasy to the experts on the advisory council on the misuse of drugs.”
But campaigners have criticised the psychologists’ report.
Leah Betts’ father Paul said: “It has been proven beyond any shadow of a doubt that every single ecstasy tablet destroys parts of the brain.
“The main thing it destroys is serotonin and depression follows on from serotonin depletion. It has reached such epidemic proportions in America that they talk of Suicide Tuesday.
“That’s because people who have taken ecstasy at the weekend are feeling so suicidal by Tuesday that they kill themselves. If you study experiments around the world the evidence against ecstasy far outweighs anything else.”
And Dr Robert Lefever of the Promis Recovery Centre said: “People need to be aware that any mood-altering chemical has the potential to cause damage.”
By David Edwards Daily Mirror.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=12167396&method=full&siteid=50143
A few days ago, I meantioned the Cambridge University report, that pointed out that mice developed ‘problems’ and some died after being injected with speed, and forced to listen to dance music. Well, fancy that. More at: http://tash_lodge.blogspot.com/2002_08_25_tash_lodge_archive.html#80869872
