Positive effects described by users include an overwhelming feeling of well-being, increased confidence and the desire to be next to and in physical contact with other people. It's also known to produce insomnia, depression and paranoia after the high has worn off. According to 1998 research by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, users are more impulsive, less likely to avoid harm, and more sensation-seeking. The agency reports that recreational use of MDMA is increasing. The long-term deleterious effect of MDMA, according to the government agency, is that it harms serotonin neurons in the brain.
Users describe the feeling from smoking marijuana as relaxed, happy and generally laid back.
Some say it enhances tense feelings in tense situations and others say it makes them fall asleep. Studies suggest that there is a risk of developing bronchitis or lung cancer from smoking cannabis resin by itself. There has been some indication that people smoking the plant on a regular basis become dependent and show withdrawal symptoms when they try to quit. Users say the drug can make the world seem like a magical place and turn the user into a giggling, gesturing wreck. During the course of an acid trip, mundane objects morph into trippy, sometimes grotesque, hallucinations.