Mormon Use of Drug Ecstacy Studied at Harvard

[Robert F. Smith]

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-psychedelic-miracle?utm_source=pocket-newtab ,

Quote

Some studies have found brain damage in chronic Ecstasy users, but in 2010, researchers at Harvard Medical School studied a large sample of Mormons who used Ecstasy – which the LDS Church was late to ban – but no other drugs or alcohol, and failed to find cognitive consequences; safety studies of the dosages used in MDMA therapy have found no evidence of neurotoxicity or permanent changes in serotonin transporters.

 

[poptart]

If the LDS church backs and promotes this I will hold them in a very, very high light.  This kind of research has done good on combat vets with PTSD and many others.  Real irony is how dangerous alcohol is, it's one of the few drugs I know of where the withdrawl kills.  I've never cared for the words of wisdom but if the church was to make a push as well as throwing out cold, hard scientific research on how damaging substance abuse is I'd hold you guys in much higher regard.  You're never going to get the likes of me to swallow the religious faith thing, there's too many of us who had bad lives growing up and were stepped on by religious and non religious people alike.  Using science and research to prove a point will do far more to prove your point will go very far.  So hope you guys keep going in this direction.

[Robert F. Smith]

1 hour ago, poptart said:

If the LDS church backs and promotes this I will hold them in a very, very high light.  This kind of research has done good on combat vets with PTSD and many others. .......................hope you guys keep going in this direction.

The LDS Church is unlikely to sponsor or back such research.  I don't know how the Harvard Med School study happened to find a bunch of Mormons taking Ecstasy, but that would have to be quite unusual.  There are Mormons who just happen to do studies using a variety of drugs.  The UofU medical center, for example, was doing some work with THC (from Cannabis) in the brains of children to reduce seizures.  However, most of that psychedelic stuff will continue to be done under the table.  Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert, and others went too far and made a mockery of such research.  Now even psychiatrists can no longer freely use such drugs for their patients.

[Calm]

I am as I type in the last dregs (slight nausea if I move my head too much) of coming down off a ketamine trip (first one today), so there is some loosening up due to effectiveness for depression. There is a version even approved by the FDA, Spravato sp?, now that my insurance would have sort of covered for those who have tried the usual antidepressants and had no improvement or as in my case bad side effects.

Done through a psychiatrist office. 

Edited December 24, 2019 by Calm

[CV75]

39 minutes ago, Robert F. Smith said:

The LDS Church is unlikely to sponsor or back such research.  I don't know how the Harvard Med School study happened to find a bunch of Mormons taking Ecstasy, but that would have to be quite unusual.  There are Mormons who just happen to do studies using a variety of drugs.  The UofU medical center, for example, was doing some work with THC (from Cannabis) in the brains of children to reduce seizures.  However, most of that psychedelic stuff will continue to be done under the table.  Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert, and others went too far and made a mockery of such research.  Now even psychiatrists can no longer freely use such drugs for their patients.

I understand there are a good number of drug rehab facilities in Utah where members of the Church might permit their ecstasy-related data to be shared for research purposes. Or if expanded nationally, researchers could obtain and correlate religious affiliation from the data.

[Calm]

2 hours ago, Robert F. Smith said:

large sample of Mormons who used Ecstasy – which the LDS Church was late to ban

I wouldn’t say the Church was “late to ban”.  I think it was more the case it was assumed avoiding mind altering drugs for recreational purposes covered it. 

See here for a condemnation of it. 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2000/10/great-shall-be-the-peace-of-thy-children?lang=eng

Edited December 24, 2019 by Calm

[katherine the great]

I vaguely remember an old episode of House where the LDS (sorry, can't give it up) doctor made the ideal subject for a particular study because of a lack of experience with alcohol. It sounds like this study points towards other substances' interaction with ecstasy as the possible cause for brain damage rather than just the ecstasy itself. I still hate the stuff or anything similar to it--one of my non-scientific, illogical pet peeves.

[The Nehor]

A shame that many of the supposed pro-drug enthusiasts in the Sixties abused them without restraint and led to most research dying off because it was more urgent to keep these substances away from the irresponsible.