NCJ Number
180421
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 39 Issue: 4 Dated: Autumn 1999 Pages: 625-647
Date Published
1999
Length
23 pages
Annotation
To establish patterns of MDMA (ecstasy) use and relate these to other substance use as well as health and social problems related to ecstasy use, this study recruited a multisite, chain-referral sample through the "dance scene" in Glasgow, Scotland.
Abstract
A total of 229 participants were interviewed, including 20 controls and 209 people who had used ecstasy at least once. All users used ecstasy in the context of polydrug use; in particular, stimulant and hallucinogen use were significantly related to ecstasy use. The extent of ecstasy use was not related to sociodemographic data, but the group was substantially involved in illegal activities, including other drug use, drug selling, buying stolen goods, and a range of other criminal activities. Respondents were classified in terms of their frequency and quantity of ecstasy use (light, medium, and heavy) and in terms of whether or not their use pattern over the year before the interview was stable or erratic. At most, users took ecstasy about once a week. The extent of drug use in general, rather than ecstasy use in particular, was predictive of more days of illness, self-attributed depression, and experiences of paranoia and memory loss. Some people binged on ecstasy, mostly by taking multiple doses over a period of hours or days. Some people who had felt sick at a dance event had taken multiple tablets and tended to binge, but others had mixed alcohol and other drugs. These data do not suggest that problems after ecstasy use are either common or related to the extent of use in a direct way. Pattern of ecstasy use may be important, but it must be considered in the context of overall substance use. 10 tables, 1 figure, and 57 references