------Program code: NS-080724-02279 (what's this?)
Source: CCTV.com
07-24-2008 10:32
On September 28, 1996, at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, customs police found 4 packs of red pills on a Malaysian traveler.
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Chemical testing showed that these pills were ecstasy, which is a popular drug in clubs around the world. However, this was the first ecstasy case the Chinese police had ever encountered in China. It appeared that a new type of drug had hit the streets in China. Since then, a number of other new drugs, such as crystal meth and ecstasy, began to become more common in China.
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These small pills with various colors, shapes and designs are ecstasy. It is a member of the amphetamine family and is a central nervous system stimulant. It mainly consists of MDA (3,4-methylenedioxy-amphetamine) and MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine). After a person takes it, he or she will shake his or her head constantly to the rhythm of music while feeling an intense sense of bliss, hence why it is called ecstasy.
Why do drug abusers constantly shake their heads after taking this drug? Animal testing shows that the effect of amphetamine-type drugs on the central nervous system can lead to compulsory acts.
Because MDMA can cause excitement and hallucinations, after taking it, drug abusers will become extremely active. They might dance the whole night but never feel tired. They are really tired, but they can’t feel it.
After a pill of ecstasy is taken, its side effects, which include sadness, anxiety, depression and hypomnesia, can last a week or even longer. During this period, doing complex tasks such as driving involve a greater risk.
According to research by the China National Institute on Drug Dependence, after taking these new-type drugs, 30.4% of users have strong sexual impulses, and 5.4% engage in sexual violence. Even worse, certain people give these drugs to others to stimulate their sexual impulses in order to have sex with them.
Why does ecstasy excite sexual desires? Studies show that the production of sexual excitement is closely related to a substance called serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a type of neurotransmitter that plays an important role in emotions, sleep, pain, feelings, appetite and other mental mechanisms. MDMA causes neurons to release a large amount of serotonin. Excessive serotonin can lead to intense feelings of excitement.
The reason that ecstasy causes excitement is because MDMA causes the neurons to release a large amount of serotonin. The sexual excitement brought on by such a release is a side-effect. As serotonin gradually depletes, the abuser will feel extreme depression several days later. The effect of ecstasy on the central nervous system will lead to irreversible brain damage.
