About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (January 22, 2003)

handle is hein.crs/crsahuf0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS21108 Updated January 22, 2003 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web Ecstasy: Legislative Proposals in the 107th Congress to Control MDMA Mark Eddy Specialist in Social Legislation Domestic Social Policy Division Summary Legislation was proposed in the 107th Congress to combat the use and abuse of Ecstasy (MDMA) and other club drugs. The RAVE Act (S. 2633/H.R. 5519) would have intensified federal efforts to control Ecstasy by amending the crack house statute to more directly target rave promoters. The Senate bill was reported by the Judiciary Committee and placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar but died at the end of the 107th Congress. Another bill, the Ecstasy Prevention Act of 2001 (S. 1208/H.R. 2582) would have encouraged local communities to crack down on raves and would have authorized additional funds to be used in High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas for anti-Ecstasy law enforcement activities. The Senate attached a version of S. 1208 to the Department of Justice authorization act (H.R. 2215), but it was deleted in conference. H.R. 3138 and H.R. 3782 would also have opposed Ecstasy and other club drugs but did not see action. This report will no longer be updated. Background' Ecstasy is the street name for MDMA or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. As its full, scientific name indicates, MDMA is in the amphetamine family of drugs, although its effects are unlike other amphetamine compounds. Discovered and patented by Merck Pharmaceuticals in Germany before World War I, MDMA was first tested on animals in the 1950s by the U.S. Army in its Cold-War search for a brain-washing drug. Civilian researchers became interested in it in the 1970s and were the first to study its unique psychological effects in human subjects. It seemed to reduce fears and barriers to intimacy, while enhancing communication and empathy, and showed promise as an adjunct to psychotherapy in the treatment of such problems as drug addiction, phobias, 1 The early history of MDMA is documented in a variety of sources. The facts here, which are recounted elsewhere, are drawn from Grob, Charles S., M.D. Deconstructing Ecstasy: The Politics of MDMA Research. Addiction Research, v. 8, no. 6, 2000. p. 549-588. Congressional Research Service **o The Library of Congress

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most