MDMA on the street: Analysis Anonymous.

Confidential scientific analysis of street drugs grew pied the middle ground in popularity among drugs submitout of the treatment, education and prevention efforts of ted for analysis. However, for this article, MDA and the counterculture movement in the 1960's and became MDMA were separated, leaving a total of 72 alleged even more crucial with the proliferation of clandestine MDMA samples for evaluation through 1983. Of the laboratories that manufacture impure drugs and deadly, combined 610 MDA/MDMA samples submitted to powerful synthetic narcotics. One of the first programs PharmChem, MDMA represents only 12 percent of the established to inform, warn and protect the public against total. Since 1983, PharmChem's Analysis Anonymous® the circulation of hazardous or lethal street drugs and clients have been referred to the Street Pharmacologist adulterants was Analysis Anonymous®. tS. P./Lab in Miami, Florida, perhaps the last drug testing Analysis Anonymous®, a confidential drug testing service of its kind. Data from S.P. for 1984 and 1985 add service of PharmChem Laboratories, Inc., in Menlo Park, another 29 submittals for a total of 101 alleged MDMA Califi)mia. began operation in 1972 as a public service of samples for this study. the nonprofit PharmChem Research Foundation. [t grew Because of the anonymous nature of these services, into one the lar,2est street-dru,2 testine laboratories in the onlv tentative assumptions can be made about the characworld, but after 12 years discontinued the anonvmous teristics of individual samples. Not all drugs sent to ·, servIce on May 3 I. 1084. six years after the Foundation PharmChem for analysis were submitted in proportion to concluded its work. theiravailabilityon thestreet andduplicatesamplesfrom Public use of Analysis Anonymous® /'rom 1973 the same sources were difficult to avoid. While Pharm(data from 1972 are incomplete) through 1983 totaled Chem vouches for the actual content and description of I 20,721samplesfromthe UnitedStatesand numberof informationabout and a samples, alleged content, origin t other countries. This total applies only to the most comprice were volunteered by sample donors and is not verifi'* monly used and abused street drugs, including amphetable. For these reasons, the data in this article do not i amine, methamphetamine, cocaine, opiates, lysergic acid represent a strict scientific sampling. Therefore, comdiethylamide, mescaline, psilocybin/psilocin, cannabis ments made in regard to the data should be taken in light of products, phencyclidine and 3,4-methylenedioxythese limitations. ') amphetamine and/or 3,4-methylenedioxymethHowever, Analysis Anonymous® did provide a amphetamine (MDA and MDMA, respectively), window on the world of street drugs, monitoring certain MDA and MDMA were always combined into a trends in drug use patterns. The data gathered here do single category for reporting purposes and together occuprovide some evidence for drug validity, adulteration and · PharmChem Laboratories. Inc.. 3925 Bohannon Drive. Menlo substitution. Samples were qualitatively analyzed for 350 Park.California 94025. drugs and adulterants; they were screened by thin-layer 4