Ecstasy Expert Raises 10K in 3 Days for Documentary Raising Awareness About the Drug

Beverly Hills, CA, February 20, 2015 --(PR.com)-- DanceSafe founder, Emanuel Sferios has been on the front lines of Ecstasy and rave culture for 17 years. His organization helps people reduce the risks of using Ecstasy (a.k.a., Molly or MDMA) by testing pills for attendees at raves and festivals, and educating users on how to stay safe. Now he and Viveka Films aims to raise $100,000 on Indiegogo to produce a full-length feature documentary called "MDMA The Movie - How Ecstasy Became the World's Favorite Drug." Documenting the cultural and medical history of the drug, the film will expose the way current laws make recreational MDMA use more, rather than less dangerous. It reveals, too, how MDMA could be a new psychotherapeutic panacea for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He has raised $10,000 in just 3 days.

Rather than preaching abstinence, the director counsels a strategy of harm reduction. Some may consider that controversial, but it is supported by at least one set of parents. Rob and Dede Goldsmith, whose 19-year old daughter, Shelley died in 2013 after taking the drug, are featured in his crowdfunding video. "It is time for a safety-first approach to drug use that emphasizes harm reduction," they say. The film also features Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who participated in ongoing FDA-approved studies using Ecstasy to treat (PTSD). "MDMA saved my life," says one veteran in the film, noting that 23 US veterans take their own lives every day.

Medical marijuana may be paving the way for medical Ecstasy, as the idea gains traction among doctors and therapists. Dr. Richard Rockefeller, the great-grandson of John D. Rockefeller and former board president of Doctors Without Borders, who died in a plane crash last June, donated $1 million in 2013 to support research into MDMA's therapeutic benefits. Other highly respected doctors who support MDMA therapy research include Dr. Ben Sessa, pediatric psychiatrist and coordinator of Britain’s first MDMA/PTSD study, and Dr. Julie Holland, author of Ecstasy: The Complete Guide: A Comprehensive Look at the Risks and Benefits of MDMA. Sferios is looking to take production of MDMA The Movie (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mdma-the-movie) to Europe to present a global perspective on current trends. For more information on this campaign please contact Emanuel Sferios (530) 368-7593, or emanuel@mdmathemovie.com