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Ecstasy Anti-Proliferation Act

The Ecstasy Anti-Proliferation Act was created to combat the trafficking, distribution, and abuse of ecstasy and similar club drugs in the United States. By 2000, the importation of ecstasy tablets had increased substantially, with a reported 500,000 tablets of ecstasy being confiscated in 1997 and a reported 4 million ecstasy tablets being confiscated in the first six months of 2000. In addition, research conducted on ecstasy use in the years preceding 2000 showed that its abuse could cause long-lasting damage to the serotonin, memory, and learning systems of the brain. Although these research findings have since been questioned, supporters used this research to rally support for the new law. Senator Bob Graham sponsored bill S. 2612: Ecstasy Anti-Proliferation Act, under the cosponsorship of eight senators. The bill was introduced to Congress on May 23, 2000, and called for a variety of changes and amendments to be made to current drug laws. After the Ecstasy Anti-Proliferation Act was added to the Children's Health Act of 2000, it successfully passed.

Components

The act was developed to amend the Federal judicial code, such that the code would direct the U.S. Sentencing Commission to revise the sentencing guidelines with regard to the manufacturing, importation, exportation, and trafficking of MDMA, the main component in ecstasy tablets. This included any other controlled substance marketed as ecstasy with a chemical structure similar to MDMA or substances that affect the central nervous system in a way markedly similar to the effects of MDMA. The act directed the commission to make the sentencing of MDMA-related offenses equal to those of methamphetamine, which are among the most severe drug-related penalties. In addition, the act set forth similar provisions for the manufacturing, importation, exportation, and trafficking of GHB, a highly addictive depressant intoxicant that is used recreationally. The act also specified that the legislation should be enacted as quickly as possible, a testament to the belief that a serious public health threat was at hand. In this way, the act's sponsors wished for these law changes to reflect the societal need for more aggressive regulation of offenses involving controlled substances.

Additionally, the act was meant to amend the Public Health Service Act, such that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration could provide grants to public and nonprofit groups to enact school-based drug information programs concerning the dangers of abuse and addiction to MDMA and related drugs. Furthermore, the act allowed grants to be provided to organizations that offered community-based abuse and dependency prevention programs concerning MDMA and related drugs. Both the school-based and community-based programs were required to show scientific efficacy. Among these amendments were also specifications about how grant funds could be used, the priorities of grant use, and the evaluative measures used to denote program effectiveness. Last, the heads of all federal departments were required to place anti-drug messages on appropriate Internet Websites controlled by those departments, with a link to the Website of the Office of National Drug Policy.

Political Context

After the Ecstasy Anti-Proliferation Act was brought to Congress, it was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee and was never reported on by the committee. When a bill is not reported on by a Committee it makes it impossible for a Senate vote, House vote, and eventual signing by the president to occur. Thus, the Ecstasy Anti-Proliferation Act lay dormant.

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