Assignment Example on Ecstasy

According to the video, why was ecstasy made illegal?

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According to the report by Peter Jennings in the documentary Ecstasy rising, there are several reasons provided as to why there was illegalization of ecstasy. The government in 1985 through its Agency the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) placed Ecstasy under emergency control and schedule wine. The government claimed that the drug caused brain damage and through Jean, the government used its emergency powers to put Ecstasy alongside heroin, cocaine, and marijuana as a schedule 1 drug. The government stated reasons such as the lack of medicinal use by the drag and also the potentiality of the drug getting abused. From the video, it is evident that the drug had gained popularity and that its use became rampant even among those who had no reason to use it. As a result of that, the government decided to come up with regulations making the manufacturing and use of Ecstasy illegal.

Name two consequences, either positive or negative, of making ecstasy illegal.

Making Ecstasy illegal is a move that had the potential of creating either positive or negative effects both to the users, the sellers, the government, and the society at large. Diana Watson who is a cancer patient states that she takes the drug not because she believes it would help her cure cancer but rather improve her emotional condition (Ecstasy Rising Documentary). It is therefore evident that the use of Ecstasy has positive effects to the users and thus making it illegal would be a drawback to its users who had had most of their emotional and social problems solved through it. "It also enabled me to open up and have communication with my family that I have never been able to have before," said Diana who also had social problems. Secondly, the illegalization of ecstasy could also be of positive implication since its use could have long-term effects like the neurotransmitters failing to function correctly, anxiety, depression, and even insomnia which may persist for long periods of time (Villa, 1-3).

Do you agree with the decision to make ecstasy illegal? Why or why not?

It is a confusing moment to decide whether the illegalization of ecstasy was a good or bad decision. The reason as to why I say this is because there was no substantial evidence as to the harmful effects of using the drug provided by the government, and two, there is also no approved medical benefit of using the drug. However, from the documentary and the testimonies given by the users of ecstasy, it is evident that the drug had positive effects in the lives of their users, and more importantly its use in the field of therapy that has proven effective and real. Let us look at post-traumatic disorders and depression, and here we have a drug that can get an individual out of these conditions. I disagree with the decision by the government to make ecstasy illegal since this is a drug that has brought a new dawn in the field of therapy and even saved lives of depressed individuals.

Works Cited

Peter Jennings. "Ecstasy Rising Documentary": (2004). Video retrieved from; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNpFqJcJcps

Villa Lauren. "The Effects of Ecstasy Use". Drugabuse.com; (2018). https://drugabuse.com/library/the-effects-of-ecstasy-use/