"It's been less than an hour, and you can already feel it. The corners of your mouth are starting to lift up, creating a big semicircle, a Cheshire grin. The pit of your stomach, normally so weighed down with stress, is lightening. You're giddy, like the first time you fell for someone. The pupils of your eyes are dilating, growing with excitement. You look around and announce to the world that you're in love -- with everyone and everything. Suddenly a new feeling hits; you realize it's all been foreplay until this instant, a slow buildup of excitement that you couldn't stop. But now, before you realize it, before you can control it, it's here. You want to let out a scream; you are so happy. It's like the best moment in your life" .
             I have chose to research the topic of ecstasy as my sister-in-law announced to the family recently that she has been using the drug. I became really interested in the drug myself considering she had lost eighty pounds in four months. She looked great. She told me about the side effects she had experienced and I wanted to know myself if the research correlated with what she had experienced. I wanted to know if I could take the drug and experience the same "wonderful" weight loss that she did or if there was some underlying damage being done. I hope to find out whether that underlying damage is physical or psychological or if there are any proven cases of long term damage. This research paper is not only being done as a school project but also as a personally gratifying experience.
             Ecstasy, otherwise known as MDMA, is a synthetic drug that has both psychedelic and stimulant effects. The drug was patented (patent #274.350) by a German company, Merck, in 1913 to be used as a possible appetite suppressant. In the 1950's, the US Army briefly considered Ecstasy as a possible chemical warfare agent. In the 1970's, Ecstasy was given to psychotherapy patients because it helped them...