This review covers the history of MDMA and its medical and non-medical use, with a focus on media coverage of MDMA in the US. Use in psychotherapy, early recreational and spiritual/self-exploratory use, and the subsequent scheduling of MDMA are all addressed in the beginning of the piece. It is argued that while some media portrayals are balanced (as in the June 2000 Time article), the majority focus on rare ecstasy-related deaths or incorrectly represent information about MDMA neurotoxicity. The author proposes that providing the public with information intended to reduce ecstasy-related harms rather than only presenting information on risks of use will effectively reduce adolescent ecstasy use. The history of MDMA is accurately presented, for the most part, though there is no evidence to date that Army researchers ever gave MDMA to humans during the 1950s. As the piece is more concerned with media portrayals of ecstasy use and its associated risks than with information on MDMA, its effects or patterns of illicit use, it cannot serve as a general reference on MDMA effects, use or usage patterns.