Re: MAPS: FW: NEJM article on "Ecstasy"

[Holger Wagner <Holger.Wagner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

maps-forum@xxxxxxxx wrote:
[...]
> Further, we have only this subject's self-report of
> taking something that was sold to him as Ecstacy, whereas some contaminant
> or adulterant is very likely the cause (the authors' own arguments suggest
> that the culprit is MPTP)

To my knowledge, MPTP is a highly toxic by-product that only appears
when MPPP, a very potent heroin-like substance is synthesized without
much care. That substance (MPTP) seems to be extremely dangerous in even
very low doses. AFAIK, most by-products that may come with
street-Ecstasy are by far not as dangerous as this.

Is it likely (or does it happen as a fact) that black-market
manufacturers of Ecstasy try to mix it with something that has a
heroin-like effect? This doesn't sound to reasonable to me because I
think the effect of heroin is significantly different from MDMA - so
"stuff would sell hard".

Or is it that there are also highly toxic byproducts in some of the
substances that have a similar effect as MDMA? With "highly toxic" I
mean substances that have a lasting destructive effect even in low
doses.

I hope this is not the case! The article sounds very much like the
typical scare-tactics to me, though.

later,
Holger


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