Ravers Rejoice: Ecstasy Doesn't Make You Stupid, as Previously Assumed
Good news, ravers: Ecstasy doesn't make dumb. The milieu of the "e-tard" is just a stereotype. Sort of.
Ravers are now smart.
That according to a new, $1.8 million study released Tuesday and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. " ... We found no ominous, concerning risks to cognitive performance," says lead author John Halpern.
This is huge for L.A., the American capital of raves. Any bad news in this? Yes, there is:
In order to conclude that ecstasy doesn't make you dumb, researchers had to weed ravers out of their subject group. Our conclusion: Ravers are dumb without ecstasy!
We kid.
But seriously, researchers did take the ravers out of the equation: Members of this particular genus of party-goer are "repeatedly exposed to sleep and fluid deprivation from all-night dancing -- factors that themselves can produce long-lasting cognitive effects," according to a summary of the research.
Also, people who used other drugs, people who might have been a little slow in the first place, and drug screening the day of the experiment were used to start with a clean slate.
John Halpern:
"Researchers have known for a long time that earlier studies of ecstasy use had problems that later studies should try to correct. When NIDA decided to fund this project, we saw an opportunity to design a better experiment and advance our knowledge of this drug."
Still, ecstasy isn't exactly beer.
Halpern:
"Ecstasy consumption is dangerous: illegally-made pills can contain harmful contaminants, there are no warning labels, there is no medical supervision, and in rare cases people are physically harmed and even die from overdosing.
We're feeling smarter already.
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