Party Drugs: Properties, Prevalence, Patterns, and Problems

• NCJ Number: 210977
• Journal: Substance Use and Misuse Volume: 40 Issue: 9-10 Dated: 2005 Pages: 1203-1240
• Author(s): Jane Carlisle Maxwell
• Date Published: 2005
• Length: 38 pages
• Grant Number(s): UD 1 TI13423
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Special Issue on Club Drug Epidemiology

Annotation

This paper summarizes the most recent literature, published from 2002 to early 2005, on “party” or “club” drugs which include MDMA, GHB, ketamine, and Rohypnol.

Abstract

“Club drugs” as defined by the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) are described as being used in all-night dance parties, such as “raves” and include the drugs ecstasy (MDMA), gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), ketamine, Rohypnol, methamphetamine, and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). This article focuses only on the first four drugs (MDMA, GHB, ketamine, and Rohypnol). Closer examination of the published literature has shown that each drug has different properties and often different users in different settings. Each has different adverse effects and requires different acute care protocols. Even though the “club drug” phenomenon was identified early, scientific information about these drugs, their identification, and short- and long-term effects are still evolving. This paper details some specific patterns that have emerged in the recent literature in the response to the “club drug” phenomenon. Glossary and references