Cactus Village Community

‘ECSTASY Impairs Memory’ (U.S.A. Today)

Jul 08, 2003

The first studies of people who use the drug Ecstasy show that the popular drug impairs memory and damages the brain mechanisms that regulate sleep, mood and learning.

The early results of the studies, presented at a scientific conference of the National Institute of Drug Abuse, found that brain damage from Ecstasy in some cases may persist for years. ?“We are finding that even a single use can produce brain changes,?” institute Director Alan Leshner says. ?“Now we need to find out whether these changes are permanent or whether the brain will recover?”.

In a study in England, Ecstasy users had memory impairment on average 2 1/2 years after they stopped taking the drug.

Valerie Curran, a researcher at University College London, studied current and former Ecstasy users and compared them with people who smoked marijuana and drank alcohol.
Curran found that those who took Ecstasy on weekends in doses commonly sold on the street and at Rave Parties, showed more memory impairment than the marijuana and alcohol users.

The message is quite simple: It is Not O.K., for our youth (or adults) to ?‘only experiment?’ with these dangerous drugs. No Drug Is Safe?…☺