Scientists at Johns Hopkins University retracted the results of a 2002 study on ecstasy Friday, admitting a major research blunder that renders the results invalid. The study, published in the prestigious journal Science, claimed to find a connection between ecstasy and Parkinson’s disease. Its results received sensational media attention worldwide and influenced Congressional decisions on anti-rave legislation related to ecstasy.

Last year Dr. George A. Ricaurte of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine released the controversial report saying that one night's typical dose of the drug ecstasy can cause permanent brain damage and Parkinson’s disease. Of the monkeys used in the study, 20% died and many were left brain damaged.

In numerous attempts, however, Ricaurte was never able to replicate his high-profile results. Eventually, he says, he realized that a labeling error had resulted in methamphetamine being injected into the monkeys - not ecstasy at all. When the study was first released in September of 2002, critics strongly questioned its validity even before this mistake came to light. Now, many question the sincerity of the retraction.

The scientific error raises serious questions about researchers’ biases when assessing drug’s dangers for the government. It appears as though his research was driven more by drug war politics and scare tactic philosophy than by scientific principle and integrity. In addition to misguided legislation, mistakes like this can lead those most likely to experiment with ecstasy to question the validity of harm reduction education.

Ricaurte’s study was used by members of Congress to prove ecstasy’s apparent dangers as they sought to enact the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act. Commonly known as the RAVE Act, the law responded to ecstasy hysteria by allowing the punishment of club owners for drug use on their property. Since then, two other similar pieces of legislation have been in the works – the CLEAN-UP Act, and the Ecstasy Awareness Act – both stemming from what is now seen as flawed science and a political agenda.