For a change of pace, a recent study suggests that taking ecstasy only once can cause memory impairments. According to Keith Laws and Fabrizio Schifano from the University of Hertfordshire,
ecstasy users show significantly impaired memory when compared to non-ecstasy users and that the amount of ecstasy consumed is largely irrelevant. Indeed, taking the drug even just once may cause significant short and long-term memory loss. Professor Laws findings are based on the largest analysis of memory data derived from 26 studies of 600 ecstasy users.
This story also interests me because the University of Hertfordshire professors believe that the Internet is unduly doing harm by promoting free information about Ecstasy and other illegal drugs. Claiming that the search engines are weighted towards pro-drug websites rather than anti-drug sources, Laws and Schifano argue that the Internet is exasperating Ecstasy’s influence by providing “potentially harmful information.”
Take note if you support freedom of information: the pressure is mounting for search engines to provide moral authority, not simply the most relevent search results.