SubChems - Research chemicals a Chemical Class!
Ecstasy is the more common street name for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine—a highly addictive, illicit drug also known as MDMA, or “Molly.” This drug shares chemical structural similarities with both amphetamine and certain hallucinogens and elicits both stimulant and sensory altering effects.1
MDMA is known by many names, including:1,2
The drug was developed by a German pharmaceutical company, Merck KGaA, in 1912.3 By the 1980s, ecstasy became a popular drug in party culture thanks, in part, to a man named Alexander Shulgin—a psychopharmacologist from Harvard who began experimenting with the drug in his backyard. Soon, the drug went mainstream and began showing up at electronic music festivals, raves, and clubs.4 In 2016, 1.4 million people aged 12 or older were current users of hallucinogens (note: MDMA is categorized as a hallucinogen in this survey).5
Ecstasy came under scrutiny in 1985 when the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) placed an emergency ban on the substance. It was placed on the list of Schedule I drugs, meaning that it has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical uses.2
The drug is often encountered as a colorful tablet imprinted with a logo. It may also be found in capsule, powder, or liquid form.2