MDA
Pronunciation:em-dee-a ̄
Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number:4764-17-4
Formal Names:Amphedoxamine, 3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine
Informal Names:Chocolate Mescaline, Hug Drug, Love, Love Pill, Mellow Drug
of America
Type:Hallucinogen.Seepage 25
Federal Schedule Listing:Schedule I (DEA no. 7402)
USA Availability:Illegal to possess
Pregnancy Category:None
Uses.This drug is a derivative of amphetamine and an analog toMDMA,
with effects similar to the latter and toMDEA. MDA is stronger than those
two hallucinogens. Researchers also report it to be three to five times stronger
thanmescaline, to which it is chemically related. MDA is legally defined as
a hallucinogen, but its stimulant qualities put it in the entactogen pharmaco-
logical class—a type of drug with both stimulant and hallucinogenic qualities.
MDA is an illicit drug designer’s delight; by the 1970s thousands of offshoots
had been made.
First produced in a laboratory in 1910, MDA was intended to help people
lose weight. One authority believes the drug has potential for stopping allergic
reactions to a variety of allergens. As the 1960s arrived the drug had been
patented as a cough suppressant and as a tranquilizer, but MDA never went
into legal commercial manufacture.
Reports of MDA’s psychological effects date back to the 1930s, but not until
three decades later did the substance become a recreational drug. It has the
capability to change how a person views time and space. While under the
influence a user’s hearing and sense of touch can become more sensitive, and
a person’s sense of identity can alter. Emotions and caring about other persons
can intensify, as can ability to communicate feelings. Such aspects allowed
MDA to find a niche in psychotherapy as well as on the street. Strong doses
can bring on hallucinations, with experiences so similar toLSDand mescaline
that users cannot tell whether they were dosed with the latter drugs or with
MDA.
Drawbacks.MDA raises heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and
salivation. The substance can cause nausea, along with high acid levels in