Characteristics and social representation of ecstasy in Europe - Irefrea

♦ Zini G., Indagine sul consumo di Ecstasy in pazienti tossicodipendenti intrattamento presso il Sert, Le droghe ricreazionali. Ecstasy, cos’è? Quali leconseguenze?, Atti del Convegno, Thiene, 16 giugno 1995).♦ Zotti A., Effetti neuropsicologici e comportamentali all’esposizione di stimoliambientali in discoteca: dati preliminari, in Comunicare la notte, SILB, Bologna,1996.8.4.3. Results of the documentary research in The NetherlandsSCIENTIFIC PAPERSOne of the first scientific articles on ecstasy in the Netherlands is an article by E.Fromberg called ‘XTC, a new soft drug’ (1990). In this article he gives a short overviewof the history of Ecstasy. In the U.S.A. scientific use of MDMA is described inunpublished manuscripts by Greer, Downing and Kueny. These manuscripts circulatedin the U.S.A., but are not available in the Netherlands. In Adamson’s book ‘Through thegateway to the heart’, therapists state that emotional bounding and at the same timeintellectual clearness are the most important effects of MDMA (in a psychiatricsetting). It makes patients able to activate and internalise psychological material, wherethey normally need five months of weekly therapeutic sessions, in five hours.In this article Fromberg also explains the effects and side effects. He claims that it’suseless to take another dose shortly after the first one, because the optimal effect canonly appear again after two or three weeks. Fromberg suggests that MDMA shouldn’tbe considered as a classic hallucinogen, but should be identified as a entactogen, whichis a new therapeutic class (D.E. Nichols,1986). Furthermore he states that thecombination of alcohol and MDMA can be dangerous.In the last part of the article he describes the consumer pattern of MDMA. Ecstasyis used in circles of friends, in which one knows each other well (not the other wayaround: relations are not built on drug use). Three remarkable aspects in thedistribution: 1. Fast dispersion; 2. Trend groups didn’t stop using ; 3. Users differ fromnew-age to disco goers, from teenage drop-outs to yuppies.In his conclusions he points out that the placement of MDMA in schedule I of theDutch Narcotic Law was a wrong decision and that ecstasy should be considered as asoft drug on the basis of the available data. At a drug conference in 1990 Fromberg andothers stated that a very subtle persecution policy should be indicated.Another important report, named ‘townhouse (=city hall) and house (= music)’ iswritten by the ministry of Health (1995). It contains suggestions and regulations (interms of harm reduction) for local policy on raves and party drugs. In 1996 this reporthas been evaluated. It was concluded that the suggestions and regulations are veryuseful. The organisers also seemed to be satisfied with the situation created by thesuggestions and regulations described in the report.156