n PMA – is an amphetamine-type drug
with both stimulant and hallucinogenic
properties and is sometimes sold as
or found in ecstasy. Slower acting, but
stronger than MDMA, people often think
their pills are “duds” and take a second
one, then they OD. There have been a
number of fatalities recorded due to it.
n An oil called safrole, extracted from the
roots, bark and fruit of sassafras plants
is used to make MDMA. Use of sassafras
in humans has been known to cause
permanent liver damage and cancer.
n From 2000-2004, the National
Coronial Information System recorded
112 ecstasy-related fatalities, with the
drug itself the primary cause of death in
46 per cent of them.
n Serotonin syndrome can result from
using ecstasy while on antidepressants,
or from an overdose. Symptoms include
agitation, headache, confusion, heart
arrhythmias, muscle twitching and, in
extreme cases, coma and death.