MDMA Ecstasy

The drug can be used to reduce inhibitions and eliminate anxiety and produces feelings of empathy for others. In Napa County MDMA or ecstasy is sold in pill form. Persistent deficits in serotonin are likely responsible mdma and meth for many of the persistent behavioral effects that the user experiences. MDMA in its true form works in the brain by increasing the activity levels of at least three neuro-transmitters, serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
Ecstasy adulteration is responsive to market pressures

In the first period, between 2011 and 2019, the increase in MDMA content is largely attributed to the sale of larger (heavier) ecstasy tablets. The average content of MDMA in ecstasy tablets appears to be on a slight downward trend from 2019, after close to a decade of increasingly stronger (and larger) tablets becoming available on the market. On occasion, neurotoxic compounds such as PMMA (5) are detected mixed with, or as a replacement for, MDMA in ecstasy tablets. The increase in ecstasy tablets containing only MDMA from 2013 until 2019 is likely to be a reflection of this, at least in part.

Of the 13 EU countries that undertook surveys since 2021 and provided confidence intervals, four reported higher estimates than their previous comparable survey, nine reported stable estimates and one reported a decreas

The total quantity of MDMA consumed in Europe is reached by multiplying the number of users by the amount used, combining prevalence data from general population surveys and the amount used from the EWSD.


The 225 vendors operating from the Netherlands generated $1.1 million in drug revenues per month and ranked fifth, after the US, UK, Australia, and Germany. The Netherlands is the main producer of MDMA, ecstasy, and herbal cannabis and a key distribution hub for cannabis mdma and meth resin and cocaine in Europe. The Netherlands seems to be an anomaly when it comes to domestic drug sales. With American buyers able to source cannabis, for example, from Colorado and Washington, where the drug has been legalized, why risk purchase from abroad? It was difficult to estimate the share of drug shipping routes precisely, as incomplete or unknown routes account for more than one-third of all drug revenues. While it is difficult to derive information about buyer locations, sellers usually indicate the countries or continents they are willing to ship their products t

According to 2021 data, tablets and powders/crystals share the EU MDMA market equally, with some variability among countries in terms of preference for either ecstasy tablets or MDMA powders/crystals (see Figure 6.1. Distribution of usual MDMA forms across countries


Adulteration of MDMA occurs by adding other psychoactive substances, typically stimulants, to MDMA in tablet, powder or crystal form. PMK glycidate, first reported in Europe in 2013, had a particular role in this resurgence (see Section Production - designer precursors substitute scheduled MDMA starting materials). In 2009 and the following years, it was therefore unlikely that consumers who purchased ecstasy in Europe would obtain unadulterated MDMA. In 2009, on average, only 31 % of the tablets analysed contained MDMA alone, compared with almost 100 % in 2004. This includes law enforcement pressure, a variety of factors affecting MDMA production, such as the availability of MDMA precursors, and, more generally, globalisation of the illicit drug supply chain

While individual tablet weight cannot be a direct predictor of how much MDMA is present in each tablet, at population level this trend is consistent when comparing larger ecstasy tablets (almost always containing more MDMA) with smaller tablets (almost always containing less MDMA). This means that consumers buying ecstasy tablets in Europe in 2019 would obtain a product containing up to almost double the highest amount of MDMA recorded in ecstasy tablets in 2011. In Australia, in January 2024, potent opioids of the nitazene family were found in brightly coloured tablets with logos reminiscent of ecstasy tablets. In tablets, adulterants typically include stimulants and MDMA-type substances – other phenethylamines with comparable subjective effects, such as MDA (3). Caffeine is the adulterant most commonly found in ecstasy tablets as well as in MDMA powders and crystals. Adulteration appears to be more frequent in ecstasy tablets than in MDMA crystals.
THC Drug Test – Marijuana Urine Dip Test 50 ng/ml


The amount of MDMA used annually by these two different user groups was estimated using data from the EWSD. Cannabis, alcohol and to a lesser extent cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, ketamine and GHB are consumed in combination with MDMA. Graphics showing the most recent data for a country are based on studies carried out between 2013 and 2023. Prevalence data presented here are based on general population surveys submitted to the EMCDDA by national focal points. You can access data by country by clicking on the map or selecting a country from the dropdown men