MDMA isn't an amphetamine?

Dallas Cowboys' defensive back Orlando Scandrick was suspended today for four games due to a positive urine test for MDMA. Scandrick’s story consists of an excuse that he was in Mexico on vacation and was persuaded by a friend to add a substance to the beverage that they were consuming. Allegedly he did not know the identification of the substance he ingested.

In an article from ESPN.com, it is stated:

“While MDMA alone would be considered a drug of abuse and would not subject Scandrick to suspension for a first-time positive test, the drug sometimes contains an amphetamine component, which does fall under the league’s PED policy and led to Scandrick’s punishment.”

What?

I do not pretend to know the specifics of the NFL drug testing policy and it seems that amphetamine–family drugs are banned under the performance enhancing drug (PED) section of policy (why it is covered there is really a discussion for another day). Even with that said, the given reasoning absolutely makes no logical sense.

MDMA is an amphetamine derivative! D’oh!

MDMA, otherwise known as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, is a substituted derivative of methamphetamine. It was first synthesized by Merck in 1914 and its widespread recreational use in the 1970s and 1980s caused it to be placed into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) by the DEA on July 1, 1985.

In a toxicology laboratory, the presence of MDMA and MDA in urine is commonly monitored via an immunoassay screening analysis (with amphetamine or methamphetamine as a target compound) and a confirmatory analysis utilizing either gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). MDMA’s chemical formula is C11H15NO2 and its molecular weight is 193.2 g/mol. MDMA is extensively biotransformed and excreted as multiple metabolites in the urine, including 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA). MDMA is detectable in the urine for 1-5 days after administration of the drug. Drug detection windows are variable and approximate. They ultimately depend on a myriad of factors including the nature of the drug consumed, the route of administration, the individual's metabolism, the dosage of drug consumed, and the hydration state of the individual.

As reported many other places, supposed Ecstasy or MDMA may contain other stimulant compounds (such as PMA, methamphetamine, or methylone), but this does not seem to be the case in this situation. I would expect that if Scandrick tested positive for an additional compound, then that information would have been released along with the MDMA result.

Cheers,

FTG