Club Drugs and Their Prominent Use in Today S Society

Sasha Tekwani

WRTG 1150-582

Literature Review Final Draft

Club Drugs and Their Prominent Use in Today’s Society

In 1999, the Drug Enforcement Administration released a book stating that ecstasy has proved to be a popular drug amongst users because it is “believed to be safe and non-addictive in comparison to such ‘hard’ drugs as heroin and cocaine” (DEA 1999). The use of MDMA (3, 4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine), also known as ecstasy, at raves, concerts, music festivals, and clubs has been booming in the last 10-15 years. Are these venues promoting the use of drugs such as LSD and MDMA? Kevin Grace of Newsmagazine specified that raves started in 1986 in England and then traveled to Canada, “but became a mass phenomenon only after media hyperbole” (2000).

According to Campe, et al. (2001), students weren’t properly educated on the negative effects of ecstasy could bring upon their body. This ‘Feel Good’ or ‘Hug Drug’ suppresses basic human needs for four to six hours while still providing feelings of intense relaxation, reduced inhibition, and ease of nervousness. Students at clubs or the like can stay awake and party for two to even three days at a time. Schmidt (1998)identified that typical users are “young, Caucasian, and from a middle to upper socioeconomic group.” The new millennium haddawned on us and Farley of TIME magazine starts out with “it’s more than just ecstasy. The youth culture is in thrall to deejays and floats on the relentless beat of electronic music.” Eleven years later, now, this is still the case. Raves have been around for the past 20 years, starting out with the Beat Generation” (Farley 2000) defined by rock to what we have now, the “Beats-per-minute Generation” alluded with electronic and techno music. Also identifying raves’ visuals, music, and atmosphere extend the pleasure of the use of MDMA. Farley further goes on to explain that “Many believe that the press is more interested in writing about drugs than about music—and that the press coverage is partly to blame for the supposed ecstasy boom…Jon Reiss of Better Living: ‘the media hype says if you want to do drugs, come to these parties. So all these kids come to the parties looking for drugs. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.’”

In a study conducted in Flanders, Belgium of those going to dance events, clubs, and rock festivals by Van Havere, we see that three of four people combine alcohol with illegal drugs, and half of them combine different illegal drugs at once. Australia is highly known for their drug use at concerts as noted by Lim, M. and Maxwell. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showed, from Maxwell’s study, that lifetime use of ecstasy went from 2.4% in 1995 to 4.8% in 1998 to 6.1% in 2001 and is still increasing today. “Respondents reported multiple sites where they used ecstasy: 70.1% at raves or dance parties, 53.8% at private parties, 50.2% at public establishments, and 46.1% in a home.” (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2002). Alternately, Maxwell reported that annual prevalence of ecstasy use was 2.4% in 1998 in Ireland, 2.2% in UK in 2001, 1.8% in Spain in 2001, 1.7% in Belgium in 2000, 1.5% in Canada in 1999-2000, 1.2% in the Netherlands in 2001, 0.7% in Latvia in 1999, and 0.6% in Germany in 2000. A survey by Maxwell at the University of Texas at Austin indicated that 20% of 96 people at raves in Baltimore-Washington corridor in 2000 tested positive in a saliva test for ecstasy.

In Newsmagazine, Grace tells us that the Alcohol and Drug Concerns of Toronto has documented 21 ecstasy-related deaths in Canada. However some of these cases had heroin and cocaine involved as well. If Canada follows in England’s footsteps, they just might be on the right track according to the London Times: “Clubbers who once sweated into the small hours to hardcore beats have swapped bare torsos and crop tops for smart suits and frocks, and Aqua Libra and Cuba libre, as they abandon Ecstasy culture and the techno scene for the sweeter strains of garage, R&B and old-fashioned soul. Some are even learning to dance.”

The National Institute on Drug Abuse released a Community Drug Alert Bulletin on “Club Drugs” releasing the facts about MDMA, GHB, Ketamine, Rohypnol, Methamphetamine, and LSD. Also stated, the consequences of MDMA are not to be taken lightly (NIDA). For days to weeks after ingestion of ecstasy, depression and anxiety is shown in most cases, along with insomnia. Chronic use brings about memory loss which can mean brain damage to the memory sector and binge use is toxic for the heart. Uncontrollable clenching of the jaw, spasms/convulsions, and intense vomiting have been reported as short term side effects as per Campe in 2001.he indicates that the most fatal side effect is hyperthermia where some users have had core body temperatures ranging from 107 to 109 degrees Fahrenheit. Frye (2001) indicates that in some cases intelligence capacity decreases with the use of MDMA, effects seen seven years after one’s last use of the drug. Other long term effects found in The Correlation between the Communication of the Health Risks of Ecstasy (MDMA) and the Drug’s Use among College Students are paranoia, depression, anxiety, heart scarring, and kidney failure from the breakdown of muscles, acute hepatitis, and aortic dissection. LSD’s long term effects include persistent psychosis and hallucinogen persisting perception disorder, previously known as “flashbacks.” (NIDA)

In 2003, Bailey of Newsweek wrote of the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act, “which allows concert promoters and property owners to be held criminally liable for their patrons’ illegal drug use and dealing.” This is an update on the RAVE act (Reducing Americans’ Vulnerability to Ecstasy) from 17 years ago. It expands such that instead of going after “crack houses” enforcement can prosecute “one-time events” and “outdoor gatherings” such as music festivals and concerts.

A few months ago, Jurgensen wrote an article titled The Taming of the Fans in the Wall Street Journal and started out with “tired of taking hits to their reputations and bottom lines, rockers with rowdy fan bases are making new moves to control their crowds.” OAR’s fans were so disorderly three years ago at the Jones Beach Theater to the point now where the band is banned from the venue. The band started the “Don’t be that guy (or girl)” policy, stopping fans from fighting, doing drugs, and doing underage drinking. Phish hired its own private security to handle their “peaceful, intelligent” fans accordingly.

Average ages of MDMA users are 18 – 25 years old (Campe 2001). David Hanson’s research with DA.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and high school drug prevention programs showed the demographic targeted to stop the use of these drugs is students in high school. Lynam, Milich, and Zimmerman studies have shown that after ten years the D.A.R.E. program has no effect on students. Hanson claimed D.A.R.E. is ineffective, as well, if not counterproductive. Prevention needs to be shifted to the adult crowd now, since they are those that use these drugs the most. Advertising prevention is not the easiest thing. Much like Frye’s example, teen athletes may be less likely to smoke cigarettes if they know that smoking can hinder their performance,” enforcers needs to find similarities and situations that students or potential users can relate to. Effective campaigns to stop the use of club drugs such as MDMA must use real-life situations and not simply list the side effects. Maxwell indicated that DanceSafe and RaveSave are groups that have been organized for dance parties to distribute information bout ambient body temperature, hydration, safe sex, pill testing, and drug safety. In TIME’s article by Farley, Moby says “I’ve never tried ecstasy, I’ve never tried cocaine, I’ve never tried heroin. I don’t think there’s anything ethically wrong with drug use, but the reason I stay away from it is that I value my brain too much. I don’t want to trust my synapses to some stranger that I met in a nightclub. I hope to use my brain for the rest of my life.”

Farley closed the TIME article Rave New World with “Sure, a fair amount of electronica is wordless wallpaper, but slip on Moby’s soulful, cerebral Play, and you won’t need any substances to get high. The music will take you there all by itself. Bassnectar’s music is similar in this manner.

The current state of the research regarding club drugs and their use among concertgoers is ongoing. There is not enough information or completed research to solidify a reason for excessive drug use. More studies need to be performed, and long term effects of occasionally using a club drug are not available yet. The enforcement is going in the right direction in the sense that those who promote music festivals and venue owners are now responsible for all attendees substance abuse at the event. I predict trends along the lines of firmer enforcement, more readily available statistical data, and further studies into the drugs themselves.

WORKS CITED

(2004). Club Drugs. (Rev. Ed.). Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from

Bailey, H. (2003). A Blueprint for Busts. Newsweek, 141(19), 12. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Campe, B., Frye, K., Hood, C., Kuznekoff, J., & Parsons, M. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement. (2001). The correlation between the communication of the health risks of ecstasy (MDMA) and the drug’s use among college students. Retrieved from

Drug Enforcement Administration, Intelligence Division. (1999). Drug Intelligence Brief. Retrieved from

Farley, C. (2000). Rave new world. (Cover story). Time, 155(23), 70. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Grace, K. (2000). Spontaneous congestion. Report / Newsmagazine (National Edition), 27(6), 47. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Hanson, D. J. (2002).Alcohol abuse prevention. Retrieved from

Jurgensen, J. (2011, July 8). The taming of the fans. Wall Street Journal: Eastern Edition, pp. D1-D2.

Lynam, D., Milich, R., Zimmerman, R., Novak, P., Logan, T., Martin, C., Leukefeld, C., & Clayton R. (1999). Project DARE: no effects on 10-year follow up. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 590-593.

Maxwell, J. and Lim, M. (2005). Party drugs: properties, prevalence, patterns, and problems. Substance Use & Misuse, 40(9-10), 1203-1240.

Schmidt, G. (1998, February). Special report: “club” drug use. Retrieved from

Van Havere, T., Vanderplasschen, W., Broekaert, E., & De Bourdeaudhui, I. (2009). The influence of age and gender on party drug use among young adults attending dance events, clubs, and rock festivals in Belgium. Substance Use & Misuse, 44(13), 1899-1915.

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