MDMA? No Thanks
I’m no Puritan, but there are all sorts of reasons to stay far away from what is called MDMA. While pure substances are available with a gov’t license, all the pills shown in the (“Red Pill, Blue Pill,” Feature, July 7) article photo are from underground sources where things like quality and purity are given short shrift.
Some of the more common adulterants found in “ecstasy” are bath salts, flakka, GHB, and meth and its nasty cousin, PMMA. Recently, Molly pills have been found with a combination of meth and fentanyl.
Ecstasy makers in the Netherlands commonly dump their lab waste in the natural areas around Amsterdam. There is no effort to dispose of the toxics properly. Another lesser-known fact is that the appetite for X is causing havoc in rainforests in Southeast Asia, where rare trees are poached to extract Safrole oil, an ingredient needed to synthesize MDMA.
Think about the consequences before you roll. R.I.P. Alyssa Byrne.
Andrew Haynes, Petaluma
Not So Fast
While I read with interest the assertion of Jonah Raskin, (“Out Run,” Rolling Papers, July 14) that basically, the Olympics is out of control against poor Ms. Richardson and cannabinoids, which may be popular in Marin County—not so fast. Pun intended.
Sadly, this young, gifted and very capable athlete made a choice. And even more sadly, Mr. Raskin failed to include Ms. Richardson’s acceptance as she made a statement of responsibility for rules to which she was completely aware and agreed she violated.
Look, I’m not going down the path of justification, rationalization nor negotiation as Mr. Raskin did about her use of marijuana. Instead let’s ask a question. What was she thinking? I have no idea. She was stressed? A world-class athlete has resources to deal with losing a family member, yet she chose to self-medicate with a substance she knew was not permitted in the field she chose to compete in. Does she think so little of her place on the Olympic Team, her obligation to her training, to her career, to her reputation, to herself that she decided this was a good choice? A “pass”? Really, Mr. Raskin? What does she deserve a ‘pass’ for?
For 25 years I was a D.O.T regulated worker subject to 6-month mandatory drug testing at any random time in/at my job. I k-n-e-w what the results of making that same choice would be for me. I’d be unemployed AND unemployable. Yea, even if it was “only” weed.
Joseph Brooke, Point Reyes Station
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