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Hey all -

I am posting to this list to request your help with a documentary. I work for Peter Jennings' production company and we are in the process of producing an hour-long documentary on the history of the drug Ecstasy for ABC News. In addition to telling the story of how Ecstasy made its way from obscurity to cultural phenomenon, our show will also engage in a debate about the efficacy of the War on Drugs, especially as it relates to Ecstasy. We are not looking to single out rave or club culture, nor imply that Ecstasy is synonymous with these cultures -- as I certainly understand that, for most people, the scene is about the music and not about the drugs.

We are currently canvassing the New York city area to find any Ecstasy users who would be willing to go on camera and discuss experiences they have had with the drug. We will be shooting interviews in Manhattan on Sat, March 8 from approx. 10am-5pm.

We are looking for a broad demographic of people - young, old, rich, poor, black, white, brown, gay, straight, yuppie, techie, wall street, etc. - - you get the idea. Ecstasy, like no other drug before it, is an incredibly democratic drug that is not limited to one section of the population. We are trying to represent this diversity of users in our documentary. More importantly, we want to focus on the experiences (both positive and negative) that people have had with Ecstasy -- why they take it, why they enjoy it, what benefits they feel they derive from it, what sort of impact it has had on them and their circle of friends -- along with any other stories.

In three or four cities across the country we intend to conduct interviews with ecstasy users. A few weeks ago we spent a day in San Francisco getting testimonials from users there. In terms of the history aspect of the show, we have already conducted interviews with people like chemist Sasha Shulgin, DJ Wade Hampton (Wish FM), psychiatrists Ralph Metzner and George Greer. Also, we are frequently in touch with the head of DanceSafe, Tim Santamour, who is very familiar with our project.

If you are interested in participating, please email me or give me a call so we can chat further about the project. We hope for this to be a different kind of documentary, not one intent on demonizing rave culture. We hope that this will bring more honest views about Ecstasy to light. Again, we will be shooting in Manhattan this coming Sat, March 8th from approx. 10am-5pm. Please feel free to forward this message to anyone who might be interested.

Any questions, please give me a call or drop an email.

Thanks,

Susan Schaefer

Peter Jennings Productions

New York, NY

212-456-5850

Susan.C.Schaefer.-nd@abc.com:)

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Originally posted by susancs

We are not looking to single out rave or club culture, nor imply that Ecstasy is synonymous with these cultures -- as I certainly understand that, for most people, the scene is about the music

Yeah i will believe that when i see the show! Then focus on Music instead of the drugs.

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Originally posted by susancs

Hey all -

. We are not looking to single out rave or club culture, nor imply that Ecstasy is synonymous with these cultures -- as I certainly understand that, for most people, the scene is about the music and not about the drugs.

. We hope for this to be a different kind of documentary, not one intent on demonizing rave culture. We hope that this will bring more honest views about

.

Yeah right....:zzz2: :zzz2:

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Originally posted by susancs

well then be on it and have the chance to give MDMA a good name.

haha...

Personally, my brain scan would look worse than hers, but at least I wouldnt blame it on the Eeeeee's

but i think youve come to the wrong place, its a cynical bunch here.

I know we've all heard stories about how things get "fixed" in the editing room. and who are we to trust peter jennings (is ABC owned by diseny?) an old rich white man, who does not want a drug revolution, but rather a nice rating and if he slams Extacy, he may make some new friends in the white house who are fighting the war on drugs - and score some interviews!

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Originally posted by rocksteadyct

haha...

Personally, my brain scan would look worse than hers, but at least I wouldnt blame it on the Eeeeee's

but i think youve come to the wrong place, its a cynical bunch here.

I know we've all heard stories about how things get "fixed" in the editing room. and who are we to trust peter jennings (is ABC owned by diseny?) an old rich white man, who does not want a drug revolution, but rather a nice rating and if he slams Extacy, he may make some new friends in the white house who are fighting the war on drugs - and score some interviews!

exactly.. the wonders of editing.. I think if you are going to discuss it, Mr. Jennings should consider experiencing it for himself...:D now that is something i would watch!

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I certainly understand your cynicism and skepticism and don't blame you. There have been a lot of unbalanced media stories out there about E. I does seem that I have come to the wrong place, but thanks for your responses.

I hope you will, however, watch the show when it is broadcast in the fall of 2003.

In terms of other show's Peter jennings has done on drugs - check of "Pot of Gold" I think you might be suprised.

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Originally posted by rocksteadyct

I know we've all heard stories about how things get "fixed" in the editing room. and who are we to trust peter jennings (is ABC owned by diseny?) an old rich white man, who does not want a drug revolution, but rather a nice rating and if he slams Extacy, he may make some new friends in the white house who are fighting the war on drugs - and score some interviews!

My thoughts exactly

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i will def watch it, as i have seen pretty much every other show that was done on E. I just would never ever be interviewed for anything like that and i would think most people here would agree...its illegal so no matter what it will have a bad rap..

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  • 1 year later...

I saw the program tonight and I just want to say thank you. The reporting integrity you've showed tonight is something I would like to see more often from all "news" shows. It was honest and fair in all ways and brought the government's credibility to the table.

It was funny watching the Phil Donahue segment from the 80s. It really showed our ignorance and trust in the government and deceit on the DEA's behalf. It really makes me think about how we are getting crapped on today.

I wish we could just start over without all the lies and propaganda. In the future, I would like to see the government step up to the table in the way you did and tell the god's honest truth about drugs in the way sites like URL=http://www.erowid.org]www.erowid.org does.

We really need to re-evaluate our trust in the government on certain issues. Your show was a definite stepping stone in the right direction. My highest praises.

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