Ecstasy use causes a release of excess levels of the brain chemical known as dopamine, but to a much lesser extent than serotonin.
Current use of marijuana among U.S. teens has dropped dramatically in the past decade; this decline has stalled during the past several years however.
High doses of Ecstasy in an users system can increase the risk of hyperthermia, seizures, and the ability of the heart to maintain its normal rhythms.
The number of fatal drug overdoses in the United States has nearly doubled within the last five years, according to the most recently available government statistics.
Ecstasy ranked 7th out of all illicit drugs of abuse which presented in emergency departments in the U.S. in 2008.