It’s time to severely question what the D.A.R.E. officer told you about ecstasy. The affect of the drug on your brain isn’t as gruesome as you might think.

Ecstasy, or MDMA, has become the drug of choice in dance clubs worldwide. It’s also the substance anti-drug propagandists are most concerned about.

First of all, I do not support the use of ecstasy in any way, shape or form. In fact, I highly advise against its use. However, studies show the advertised effects of ecstasy on the brain are becoming mythical scare tactics.

The U.S. government has poured tens of millions of dollars into researching the effects of ecstasy in recent years. According to studies done by New Scientist, the claim that ecstasy rips a hole through your brain cannot be substantiated.

The drug’s short-term effects have more validity to them. For example, use of ecstasy can make it dangerous for some people to pass water. The user also is in danger of having sudden and sometimes fatal heatstroke. By temporarily depleting the brain of serotonin, ecstasy also may bring upon the mid-week blues.

While these effects may not be a walk in the park, they are a far cry from what we have been led to believe lies in wait for an ecstasy user. More people are killed by downhill skiing than by popping the pill in their mouths.

OK, so ecstasy won’t rip holes into your brain. That’s great. What about brain cells? Does the use of ecstasy actually make you stupid? Not according to one study performed by psychologist Andrew Parrott of the University of East London.

Ecstasy users outperformed non-users in tests requiring them to rotate complex shapes in their mind’s eye. Ecstasy users also outperformed non-users in searching a series of virtual rooms on a computer screen to find a small toy car.

Any effect ecstasy may have on cognitive skills is minimal. However, the above-mentioned research does not hand out a free pass to chomp down ecstasy like Rosie O’Donnell raiding the refrigerator on the eve of a diet. Studies also have shown ecstasy to have different effects of which intensity varies for different individuals.

Regardless of the minimized effects of ecstasy, anyone who rents their soul out to a pill for the night should get their head checked. The risk just isn’t worth it. Besides, it’s a horrible business move to shell out your life savings for an artificial sense of bliss.

Yet, the purpose of this research is not to question the morality of ecstasy use. It’s to bring to light the fact that we have been force-fed faulty information about the drug, anti-drug propaganda tossed our way to scare us into running a mile the opposite direction every time we hear the word “ecstasy.”

This new information regarding ecstasy is supported by a database powered by www.maps.org. Folks, the facts are here. It’s time to stop running. It’s up to you to find out the truth.

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star staff.