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The twists and turns of abuse
in controlled substances have taken many directions over the past
number of years. We have seen the ebb and flow of various substances,
but the advent of Club Drugs has created a whole new problem for
Law Enforcement.
In the past, Law Enforcement could concentrate on standard surveillance techniques, confidential informants, reverse sting operations and so on. However, with Club Drugs (Ecstasy, Ketamine, GHB, Rohypnol and LSD) being sold mainly within the confines of the Rave parties, how does Law Enforcement attack this new and dangerous direction of abuse?
Ecstasy - 3,4 Methylenedioxy-Methamphetamine or MDMA
MDMA or Ecstasy is what we commonly
refer to as a designer drug. Manufactured in a clandestine laboratory,
this substance will appear naturally in a powder form. Most of
the MDMA being seized within the United States originates in Europe.
Even though the natural substance starts in a powder form, the
standard dosage for Ecstasy is by tablet. Due to the purchasing
restrictions placed on tableting machines within the United States,
it is more practical to tablet in Europe where these
restrictions are much looser.
The unique feature of Ecstasy tablets are the designs stamped into the tablets themselves. We are accustomed to seeing the names of various Manufacturers (Parke-Davis, Roche, Frosst, Lilly, Squibb, etc.) or brand names (Tylenol, Aspirin, Motrin, Advil, etc.) or letter and number combinations stamped into these tablets (P-D 618, MJ 515, L 259). We can easily look these tablets or capsules up in a PDR or call the State Poison Control Center and correctly identify the various substances. With Ecstasy you will see the distinct designer insignias (Y2K, CK, elephants, Mitsubishi car sign, pokemon, smiley faces, butterflies, thumbs up sign, etc.) instead of the standard manufacturer markings. Most of the tablets will be a white to off-white color. You may see them take on some lighter pastel colors like yellow or green or blue. However, all these tablets will bear the unique designer insignias.
Consumers prefer the tablet to powder since these tablets are ready for consumption and powders need to be weighed or portioned out. On rare occasions we have also seen plain capsules used to dispense Ecstasy. The standard explanation for this form seems to be a dealer having poor grade Ecstasy grinding those tablets into powder along with high grade Ecstasy. He will then mix these two grades together to make an acceptable mid-grade high and package them in a plain capsule.
Physical and Psychological Effects of MDMA
Ecstasy has been commonly referred to as the "love drug" or "hug drug". The street names for Ecstasy will be "E", "X" (not to be confused with liquid X which is the street name for GHB) or "XTC". Young people taking MDMA will become very sensitive to touch. You will see groups of them at Rave parties stroking or massaging one another. The sensitivity to touch is greatly heightened.
Other obvious physical effects are muscle tension, blurred vision, rapid eye movement, faintness, chills and sweating. With the tremendous increase in energy the young people at these rave parties will dance continually. This constant physical activity will create heat exhaustion, dehydration and dangerously high body temperatures. The first aid response is plenty of breaks from dancing and the consumption of large quantities of water. People on Ecstasy will also clench and grind their teeth. This last symptom explains the sucking on lollypops and Tootsie-pops. You will also see the sucking on baby pacifiers. It is normal to visit high schools and colleges and see young women with pacifiers attached to home made necklaces walking around their respective campuses.
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To heighten the sensitivity to Ecstasy, these users will employ Vicks inhalers. These will be found in both the small tube inhalers which they rub into their nostrils or the larger jars. Abusers will take a particle mask and rub the Vicks into the mask. They then breathe deeply and pass the mask on to other users. This enhanced high can last up to one hour.
Psychologically, Ecstasy can create anxiety, paranoia, depression, nervousness and insomnia. It can also cause a change in peoples eating habits and sexual habits. However, the single most serious effect of Ecstasy rests with the memory loss.
The use of MDMA kills the part of the nerve in the brain that releases the needed product of Serotonin. Serotonin is the substance controlling the sleep, sexual and eating habits as well as memory function within the brain. This effect can be long term for up to seven years following the use of Ecstasy. In simple terms, this memory loss takes young people at the height of their learning and absorption period and ages them into middle age to older people without the tremendous memory capabilities of their younger days.
Testing Ecstasy within Field Tests
Before you start testing, remember the cardinal rule of field testing: A field test is a presumptive test designed to confirm your probable cause.
If your probable cause dictates
the substance is suspected to be MDMA (Ecstasy), start your initial
testing with the Marquis Reagent (#902 pouch, #7602 tube). Place
the substance into an acceptable form for the test to be performed:
Tablet: reduce to a powder form
Capsule: open up and remove a small amount of the powder
Powder: mix the powder first, then introduce into the test
The Marquis Reagent is a single ampoule test. Simply break the ampoule and agitate the test while watching closely for the color change. MDMA will flash very briefly an Orange color and immediately change to Black as you agitate. This change to Black will happen within 1 to 2 seconds of breakage. (Note: It has been reported this color turns a deep Purple. However, if you follow the correct principles of field testing and agitate the test thoroughly after breakage of the ampoule, this color will turn BLACK as in the photo below on the left.
To use the Sodium Nitroprusside test, simply place a small amount of the suspect material into the kit, break the ampoules in sequence (in the pouch from left to right, or in the tube first bottom then top) and agitate after breakage of each ampoule. Ecstasy will create an immediate dark blue color following the breakage of your last ampoule as seen directly below in the photo on the right side.
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If you wish to confirm your findings with a second field test, turn to the Sodium Nitroprusside test (#923 pouch or #7623 tube). Most people recognize this test as the Methamphetamine Reagent. You should understand that this test identifies a particular family of substances referred to as secondary amines. The two standard secondary amines you will see are Methamphetamine and MDMA or Ecstasy. The reason we feel comfortable using this test to identify two separate substances rests with the Cardinal Rule of confirming probable cause. Meth and Ecstasy are very distinct both in their appearance and in their areas of distribution and dealer networks.
Court Acceptance
Even though both the Marquis Reagent and Sodium Nitroprusside test are reliable for Ecstasy, the Courts across the country were reluctant to accept these findings until the words MDMA and Ecstasy were clearly printed with the color reaction on the pouch themselves. It was not acceptable to describe the reactions simply on the box directions or instruction manuals. The Courts generally have insisted on seeing the reactions and substance names on the field tests.
Test and Evaluation Samples
If your Agency requires a sample of either the Marquis or Sodium Nitroprusside tests for MDMA or Ecstasy, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-852-0300.
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