What's in a Label? Ecstasy Sellers' Perceptions of Pill Brands (Report‪)‬

In the early years of the twenty-first century the word Ecstasy has come to signify more than a synonym for "elation" or "excitement." For some, Ecstasy evokes a brightly hued tablet, a four-hour-plus experience and a night out dancing; others may think of jaw-clenching or "coming down," the antithesis of a euphoric experience. Ecstasy is the street nomenclature for MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine). During the early stages of recreational Ecstasy use in the United States, a supplier reportedly hoped to call MDMA "Empathy" since he felt it appropriately described the drug's effects; but he later decided the name "Ecstasy" would be more appealing to potential customers (Saunders 1993). The marketing of Ecstasy has evolved to encompass a plethora of brand names and drugs manufactured in an assortment of shapes and colors with the choice of powder or pressed tablets with varying ingredients that are sold under the name Ecstasy. There is scant research in the area of Ecstasy branding, particularly from the perspective of the distributor. In this study, the authors explore the importance and role of pill brands and preferences for powder or pressed pills from the perspectives of a sample of San Francisco Bay Area Ecstasy sellers. THE PHARMACOLOGY AND HISTORY OF ECSTASY