History of ecstasy

A patent for MDMA was first filed in 1912 by German pharmaceutical company Merck. It was not ingested by humans for about another half century.

During the 1970s, pharmacologist Dr Alexander Shulgin rediscovered the MDMA compound and the use of MDMA was promoted as a therapeutic product, developing a reputation for enhancing communication and reducing psychological defences during therapy.
During the 1980s, the use of 'empathy' and 'ecstasy', street names that were then given to MDMA began to increase, especially in the gay and urban, trendy communities. By the beginning of the 1990s, ecstasy use was entrenched in the nightclub and electronic music scenes, and has now become one of the most widely used illicit drugs in many countries.

Ecstasy was banned in the United States in 1985, when the US Drug Enforcement Agency added it to Schedule 1 of its list of controlled substances. It was deemed to have no medical use and a high potential for abuse. During the DEA's hearings about ecstasy use, most experts and the presiding judge recommended that it be placed on Schedule 3 (a schedule with lighter restrictions and penalties). However, the DEA placed MDMA on the category with the strongest sanctions.