A Complete History of Ecstasy

Ecstasy is a popular drug that is often used recreationally for its energy-enhancing and euphoric effects. And like most drugs, it can have deleterious effects. The principal ingredient of ecstasy should be MDMA, although this isn’t always the case. MDMA today is considered more dangerous than it was decades ago for several reasons, including its purity. Modern MDMA is often mixed with other substances, such as synthetic opioids (e.g., fentanyl) or stimulants, making it difficult for people to know exactly what they’re consuming. This increases the risk of adverse reactions, including a potentially deadly overdose.

The history of MDMA, and the history of ecstasy, shows how it went from a pharmaceutical compound to a recreational drug with widespread use. This article discusses the origins of MDMA, its rise in popularity, and the cultural and legal shifts that have shaped its reputation today.

When Was Ecstasy Discovered?

You may wonder, When MDMA was discovered? MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) was first discovered by German chemists. Amphetamine was discovered in 1887, and in 1912, Anton Köllisch created MDMA as an intermediate product of another reaction. This is a bit like when you create the tasty batter of a cake—it’s not the raw ingredients of the eggs, flour, and water, but it isn’t the finished product, either. The chemist noted that he’d made a new compound and moved on.

MDMA was briefly reexamined in 1927 and then laid dormant for decades. The idea that MDMA was used as an appetite suppressant during this time is laughable; Merck, the company for whom Köllisch was working, patented the chemical only because it was a precursor to making the drug they wanted, and the company didn’t even worry about the compound for another 15 years after it was made. If MDMA had been used as an appetite suppressant, Merck, with its characteristic Germanic efficiency, would’ve recorded and noted a battery of pharmacological tests.

MDMA Testing & Research

MDMA was tested covertly by the U.S. military in the 1950s. The usual explanation for this is that they were searching for a “truth serum,” but this seems unlikely for several reasons. First, the tests were conducted on animals. While animals can lie, a truth serum wouldn’t be of much use to them. It’s much more likely that they were looking for new chemical weapons and that MDMA was one of the many chemicals synthesized for this purpose.

MDMA had already been patented, which discouraged extensive research by pharmaceutical companies. Since they couldn’t profit from the drug, any acceptable use discovered would allow others to produce it freely. This meant that all the investment in medical trials would result in no financial return.

However, chemist Alexander Shulgin developed an interest in hallucinogenic compounds. Born in 1925, Shulgin served in the U.S. Navy before earning his Ph.D. in 1954. While working at the Dow Chemical Company, he created the world’s first biodegradable pesticide, mexacarbate, which was marketed under the name Zectran.

This made Dow a lot of money, and the company rewarded Shulgin by allowing him to expand his research to whatever areas he wanted to study. Having tried mescaline in the late 1950s, Shulgin decided to experiment with various psychotropics. He reasoned that psychiatry was a growing field and that hallucinogenic and mind-altering drugs might be the answer to curing various disorders.

Shulgin eventually left Dow in 1965—partly because he tested various psychoactive drugs on himself—but he immediately started doing research work for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). This let him legitimately research various illicit compounds, and in 1976, he tried MDMA after apparently hearing about it from friends.

The first batches of MDMA had already been discovered in Chicago in 1970, and by 1975, it had been banned in the UK. It was virtually unknown in the United States, however.

Shulgin had cultivated a professional network of psychotherapists and shared MDMA with one of them, Leo Zeff, who was reportedly on the verge of retirement. Instead of collecting his pension, Zeff expanded his practice, incorporating MDMA into talk therapy to help patients open up about their struggles. During this time, up to 4,000 psychotherapists worldwide were introduced to MDMA, with many experimenting with it both personally and professionally. They observed that it induced feelings of calm and peace while heightening sensory experiences.

Laws & Regulations Around Ecstasy

As MDMA spread, the DEA took notice. The drug began showing up in more raids, with increasing reports of contamination and dangerous side effects. The growing risks associated with its misuse couldn’t be ignored, and in 1985, the DEA invoked a newly imposed law to ban ecstasy, recognizing the potential harm it posed to public health.

The new law was prompted by the sale of a drug to individuals in 1979 as part of a legal group of substances marketed as an alternative to heroin. This compound, known as China White, was actually alpha-methyl fentanyl, which led to several overdoses. The DEA faced challenges because its authority was limited to banning specific compounds, and altering the chemical structure to bypass restrictions was relatively easy for illicit chemists. Eventually, the DEA was granted the authority to regulate entire families of compounds and enforce temporary bans to address emerging threats.

It was this law that was used to ban MDMA, which had started getting the street name ecstasy. MDMA was given a Schedule I rating, which means it is classified as having a high potential for misuse and no accepted medical use in the U.S. Schedule I drugs are considered the most dangerous, with a high risk of addiction. They are illegal to manufacture, distribute, or possess under federal law.

The main risk with ecstasy is that you never know what you’re getting. The average purity of an ecstasy tablet, ignoring the usual fillers, is around 10%, which means you simply don’t know what else you can get.  If you or your loved one is struggling with uncontrollable ecstasy use, call our helpline at and learn more about the addiction treatment options like our inpatient rehab programs, outpatient addiction treatment facilities, and more.