Since then, researchers have concluded ecstasy may cause brain damage as well as spur panic attacks. Yet 14 years after being banned, ecstasy is nearing mainstream drug status at UF and many other American schools. At 4 a.m. this night, about 30 partiers sharing the second-floor loft at Simon's couldn't care less. Nope, these kids are booming on magic beans. Flashing strobe lights illuminate the mix of minorities, sexualities and genders.
Frenetic beats build, then bottom out.
Smiles splash across sweaty dancers' faces. As Andrea moves to one of the couches lining the room, she encounters such a couple. Tony and Jim, who drove up from Daytona for the night, are amid a massive roll. Even experts don't know. Since it's illegal, researchers must rely on animal testing and anecdotal information from users.