NCJ Number
163343
Journal
MAPS Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Dated: (Spring 1996) Pages: 11-13
Date Published
1996
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a study of the quality of the MDMA being sold on the underground market in the United States and England.
Abstract
Information about the quality of MDMA is needed in order to estimate the dangers faced by users of illicitly manufactured and distributed MDMA and to place reports of adverse effects in some context. In February and March 1996, quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted by a licensed testing facility on 33 samples: 22 from the United States, 10 from England, and one from South Africa. The testing was done with a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. The results were then compared by a computer to a database of known drugs and other compounds to see if there were any matches. While there were no toxic additives found in any of the samples, there were unidentified ingredients in virtually all the samples. Those compounds may have been benign fillers or binders. However, the safety of MDMA tablets and capsules cannot be determined with certainty. Nevertheless, the claims that MDMA is frequently mixed with crushed glass, rat poison, heroin, and other dangerous substances has not been substantiated.