Just as LSD came to be associated in the public's mind with the culture of the 1960s, two other hallucinogenic drugs, ecstasy and ketamine, have come to be associated with the so-called rave culture of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. These two drugs, which the DEA classifies as hallucinogens, are popular among those who attend impromptu wide-open parties called raves. "Ravers" who take ecstasy and ketamine claim that although these drugs produce perceptual distortions, the effects are mild enough to allow them to dance and converse with friends. Users of ecstasy and ketamine believe that within the rave environment these drugs enhance the experience of dancing to loud music and light shows as well as the enjoyment of being emotionally connected with the large numbers of people who attend raves.

Ecstasy

In particular, ecstasy has a reputation among young people for creating...