There is a strong misperception that use of Ecstasy is safe unless the drug is somehow tainted or laced with some other illicit substance. In fact, Ecstasy is classified in Colorado as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. Schedule I Controlled Substances have no medicinal use in the United States, and have a high potential for abuse. Included with Ecstasy as a Schedule I drug are drugs such as Heroin and LSD. Ecstasy, even if taken only once, can cause serious and sometimes life threatening physical problems. Psychological effects can include paranoia, confusion, depression, anxiety, and hallucinations. While the psychological effects should be enough to deter someone from using Ecstasy, the physical effects can also be severe. The physical side effects include: sweating, severe dehydration and body overheating, nausea, chills, tremors, convulsions, significantly increased heart rate and blood pressure, blurred vision, muscle tightness, faintness, muscle breakdown, kidney and heart failure, brain damage, and DEATH.

The long-term effects of Ecstasy are largely unknown. Scientific testing has now begun to study these effects. In 1998, the National Institute of Mental Health studied a small group of habitual Ecstasy users who were abstaining (stopping) the use of the drug. These users suffered damage to the neurons in the brain that transmit serotonin (a chemical in the brain involved in several critical functions of life, including learning, sleep, and integration of motion). Studies now suggest that use of Ecstasy may lead to impairments in a person’s ability to reason verbally or sustain attention. Ecstasy is a neuro-toxic drug. In other words, Ecstasy is a poison to the brain and its functions. Because Ecstasy causes brain transmitters to ignore messages that the body is overheating, there have been a higher incidence of heat related injuries and even fatalities. In effect, the use of Ecstasy can cause the brain to ignore the fact that the body is overheating and thus cause a person to avoid hydration until the body is dangerously overheated. Severe dehydration and overheating have also led some to drink excessive amounts of water, which can lead to death.