Activity 3

The three articles by Halpern et al (2011), Mir et al (2011), and Schneir et all (2011) are all from a similar period in time in which research was conducted that discussed the effects of ecstasy and synthetic cannabinoid or K2, respectively. I enjoyed all three of the articles, as they highlighted a range of material, from the effects to prevalence and detriment to users in society. 

In the first article, Halpern et al developed a study that would assess the effect that ecstasy had on cognitive functions. To effectively do so, researchers conducted a field study that excluded individuals with life-time exposure to other illicit drugs or alcohol and included participants of the “rave” subculture. Researchers found that of the 52 illicit ecstasy users and 59 non-users, there was little evidence of decreased cognitive performance in the ecstasy users, although results did yield that ecstasy users exhibit somewhat greater impulsivity, which could be a correlation in the sense that people who use ecstasy already have greater impulsivity. This is one of the first articles that I have read regarding the effects of ecstasy on neurocognitive functions, so it is fairly new material to me. As the study states, longitudinal studies of ecstasy use are typically inconsistent. I think Halpern and his colleagues conducted a solid research study, however. There are a few things that I would suggest. He required that participants be active members of the “rave” culture, and I think that it might be an improvement to include a wider range of ecstasy users in order to produce a more generalizable result and increase validity. This is relevant to class material due to the fact that we have discussed that MDMA or ecstasy is a Schedule 1 drug, which makes it completely prohibited by law. This aspect makes it more difficult to produce accurate results or determine completely causal relationships, due to the fact that researchers can’t give study participants ecstasy in a lab or a completely controlled environment. Aside from that, ecstasy is commonly found at parties or raves nonetheless. While the findings of this particular study indicate that ecstasy does not have a significant negative cognitive effect, I am curious to see the results of similar future case studies.   

The two additional studies focused primarily on the effects of synthetic marijuana, commonly known as spice or K2. To begin, Mir et al describes three cases in which 16-year old males exhibit chest pain after previously smoking K2. Each subject had also admitted to smoking marijuana in the distant past. ”Few synthetic cannabinoids can be detected of the hundreds that have been developed over the years” (Mir et al, 2011). Much more is known about the effects that marijuana has in comparison to synthetic cannabinoids, however spice is legal. Furthermore, “Spice Girls” depicts the case of two previously healthy women, ages 20 and 22, who called 911 after smoking a packet of spice deemed “Banana Cream Nuke” (Schneir et al, 2011). On packages of K2, it is clearly printed “Not for human consumption.” Schneir concludes by stating that he believes K2 use will continue due to its legality in the United States and the fact that it is undetectable on a drug test. I completely agree with him, and would think that allowing the purchase of synthetic cannabinoids will essentially lead to continued use. While it might be so, I feel that today many people are aware of the severity of K2 and choose not to smoke it or at least smoke it less. In class, we have discussed what drugs we refer to as “epidemics”. Although it has been a few years since I’ve heard anything about the excessive use of synthetic marijuana, I’m fairly confident that in 2011 when these articles were written, the use of K2 could have been easily defined as an epidemic. Use was growing, along with health problems which seemed to be related to the use of the drug. 

Each article stresses that further research is needed, and in the meantime I think that public awareness needs to be heightened about both ecstasy, which seems to be more prevalent today, along with K2 and other legal and illegal drugs.