Fundamental & clinical pharmacology
July 1, 2026
Nina Abukahok, Steven Lawrence, Samrachana Adhikari et al.
Ketamine is increasingly prescribed in an off-label manner to treat psychiatric disorders, raising concerns about direct-to-consumer advertising and the proliferation of clinics offering ketamine for at-home use without direct medical supervision. We aimed to identify and characterize clinics advertising ketamine for psychiatric conditions online in the New York metropolitan area (New York, New...
Am J Psychiatry
April 22, 2026
Kevin H. Yang, Avery Eun, Joseph J Palamar
Prevalence and Correlates of Past-Year Psilocybin Use in the United States.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
October 9, 2025
Joseph J Palamar, Nicole D. Fitzgerald
2 citations
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) proposed a rule in which they intend to place the psychedelic phenethylamines 2,5-dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine (DOC) and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. We investigated the epidemiology of use and availability of these substances. We investigated national trends in seizures of these compounds...
The International journal on drug policy
June 1, 2025
Joseph J Palamar
7 citations
Ketamine-related poisonings and law enforcement seizures have been increasing in the United States, but population surveys suggest that recreational use has been rare with trends being relatively stable. This study aimed to estimate trends and correlates of use among nightclub attendees-a population known for high prevalence of party drug use. Adults entering randomly selected nightclubs in New...
Addiction (Abingdon, England)
April 20, 2025
Joseph J Palamar, Nina Abukahok, Patricia Acosta et al.
7 citations
'Tusi', also known as 'tusibí' or 'pink cocaine', is a drug concoction which previously emerged in Latin America and Europe and has recently acquired popularity in the United States (US). Consumers are often unaware that Tusi contains a mixture of ketamine and other drugs, and the concoction can be confused with 2C/2C-B (ring-substituted phenethylamines/4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine) or...
Journal of Affective Disorders
March 15, 2025
Kevin H. Yang, Wayne Kepner, Charles M Cleland et al.
19 citations
Ketamine's potential for treating depression has drawn increased clinical interest in recent years. However, despite growing therapeutic use, recreational use among individuals with depression remain underexplored. We analyzed data from the 2015-2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health focusing on adults in the US. Trends in past-year ketamine use, overall and by depression status, were...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
March 3, 2025
Wayne Kepner, Patricia Dionicio, Katie Bailey et al.
3 citations
Little is known about ecstasy/MDMA use among Asian American and Pacific Islander populations. Research is important because AAPIs face unique cultural factors that may influence use. We estimated the prevalence and correlates of lifetime ecstasy/MDMA use based on a representative sample of US AAPI adults aged ≥18 from the 2015-2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. An estimated 5.1% of...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
March 1, 2025
Joseph J Palamar, Jennifer S. Jewell, Omar El-Shahawy et al.
9 citations
Off-label prescribing of ketamine to treat psychiatric disorders has been increasing, as has recreational use and availability of illicit ketamine. It is important to examine trends in ketamine-related poisonings to inform public health efforts. We examined data from poisonings (exposures) involving ketamine reported to Poison Centers in the US between 2019 and 2023 (n = 1519). Annual trends...
Disease-a-month : DM
March 1, 2025
Andrew M Farrar, Isabelle H Nordstrom, Kaitlyn Shelley et al.
7 citations
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; commonly referred to as "ecstasy" or "molly") is a substituted amphetamine drug that is used recreationally for its acute psychoactive effects, including euphoria and increased energy, as well as prosocial effects such as increased empathy and feelings of closeness with others. Acute adverse effects can include hyperthermia, dehydration, bruxism, and...
Current Addiction Reports
2025
Nina Abukahok, Nicole D. Fitzgerald, Joseph J Palamar
Tusi, also known as "pink cocaine," has emerged across nightlife scenes in Latin America, Europe, Australia, and the United States (US). Tusi is typically a drug mixture containing ketamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Due to tusi's inconsistent chemical makeup, surveillance and harm reduction efforts have proven difficult for researchers and consumers alike. This review...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
May 1, 2024
Joseph J Palamar, Nicole D. Fitzgerald, Thomas H Carr et al.
9 citations
Psilocybin, the principle psychoactive component in "shrooms", is regaining acceptance in therapeutic settings, leading to media coverage of medical benefits associated with use. Possession is also becoming increasingly decriminalized throughout the United States. There is a lack of data on prevalence of shroom use, but trends in law enforcement seizure data can provide one indicator of shroom...
Drug and Alcohol Review
May 1, 2024
Nicole D. Fitzgerald, Joseph J Palamar
5 citations
Ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine [MDMA]) is a drug commonly used by people who attend electronic dance music (EDM) events at nightclubs and dance festivals. Drug checking has gained popularity in recent years to test for adulterants, but epidemiology studies are needed to estimate potential shifts in prevalence of drug checking to further inform harm reduction efforts. Adults entering...
JAMA Psychiatry
January 3, 2024
Samuel T. Wilkinson, Joseph J Palamar, Gerard Sanacora
41 citations
This Viewpoint discusses changes in the use of ketamine as a medical therapeutic and a recreational substance, the potential risks of use, and the need for increased research and surveillance.
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
September 3, 2023
Joseph J Palamar
29 citations
A drug concoction called tusi has emerged in Latin America and in Europe and is now beginning to acquire popularity in the United States. "Tusi" is a phonetic translation of "2C," a series of psychedelic phenethylamines. The concoction is also sometimes referred to as "pink cocaine" as it typically comes in the form of pink powder. However, despite its name, the concoction rarely contains 2C...
Drug and Alcohol Review
September 1, 2023
Joseph J Palamar
5 citations
It is largely unknown whether adverse effects experienced from recreational drug use affect willingness to use again. This study determined whether adverse effects from select party drugs affect reported willingness to use again in the next month among a high-risk population-people who attend electronic dance music parties at nightclubs or dance festivals. Adults (age ≥ 18) entering...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
August 21, 2023
Caroline Rutherford, Austin Le, Joseph J Palamar et al.
2 citations
Few epidemiological studies have focused on seasonal variation in the use of common psychedelics and party drugs among nightclub and festival attendees, typically those who attend electronic dance music (EDM) events. We sought to determine whether the use of different drug types varies seasonally within this population. Across 15 seasons from summer 2017 through fall 2022, we surveyed 3,935...
The International journal on drug policy
May 1, 2023
Joseph J Palamar, Austin Le, Charles M Cleland et al.
41 citations
Drug use is prevalent among people who attend electronic dance music (EDM) parties at nightclubs or festivals. This population can serve as a sentinel population to monitor trends in use of party drugs and new psychoactive substances (NPS) that may diffuse through larger segments of the population. We surveyed adults entering randomly selected EDM parties at nightclubs and dance festivals in...
Addictive behaviors
September 1, 2022
Kevin H. Yang, Benjamin H Han, Joseph J Palamar
30 citations
There is renewed interest in the clinical application of hallucinogenic substances to treat a range of psychiatric conditions. However, there is mixed evidence regarding how use of such substances outside of medical settings relates to psychological distress, depression, and suicidality. We examined data from a US representative sample of noninstitutionalized adults from the 2015-2020 National...
Harm Reduction Journal
February 5, 2022
Joseph J Palamar, İbrahim Sönmez
Dance festivals have been shown to be high-risk events for use of drugs such as ecstasy/MDMA and possible adverse effects associated with use. However, few studies have examined what makes festivals such risky environments. We aimed to determine festival-specific risk factors for adverse outcomes related to drug use. In-depth interviews were conducted with 35 key informants in North America who...
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental
2020
Patricia Acosta, Joseph J Palamar
44 citations
Abstract Objective The number of novel psychedelic phenethylamines and tryptamines has continued to increase, but little academic research has focused on the effects of these substances. We sought to determine and compare the subjective effects of various substances. Methods We conducted in‐depth interviews with 39 adults (75.4% male and 87.2% White) who reported experience using psychedelic...
American Journal on Addictions
September 27, 2018
Joseph J Palamar, Austin Le
35 citations
Background and Objectives The popularity of tryptamines such as N,N ‐dimethyltryptamine (DMT) appears to be increasing in the United States (US), but epidemiologic literature on prevalence of use is scant. This paper aims to determine trends in prevalence and correlates of past‐year tryptamine use among a nationally representative sample of young adults in the US. Methods Participants in the...
Addiction Research & Theory
March 30, 2018
Caroline Dorsen, Joseph J Palamar, Michele G. Shedlin
21 citations
BACKGROUND: The ceremonial use of psychoactive/hallucinogenic plant based drugs, such as ayahuasca, psilocybin and others, is a growing trend in the United States (US) and globally. To date, there has been little research documenting how many people are using psychoactive substances in this context, who the users are, what benefits/risks exist in the use of these drugs and the relationship...
The International journal on drug policy
October 1, 2017
Joseph J Palamar, Alberto Salomone, Enrico Gerace et al.
Data on both known and unknown drug use in the electronic dance music (EDM) scene is important to inform prevention and harm reduction. While surveys are the most common method of querying drug use, additional biological data can help validate use and detect unknown/unintentional use of drugs such as new psychoactive substances (NPS). We sought to determine the extent of both known and unknown...
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
November 1, 2016
Joseph J Palamar, Patricia Acosta, Scott J Sherman et al.
73 citations
Novel psychoactive substances (NPSs) continue to emerge in the United States and worldwide. Few epidemiological studies have examined the prevalence and correlates of use. We examined the extent of NPS use in a high-risk population-attendees of electronic dance music (EDM) parties at nightclubs and festivals. We surveyed 682 adults (age 18-25) entering EDM events at nightclubs and festivals in...
The American Journal on Addictions
August 1, 2016
Joseph J Palamar, Monica J Barratt, Jason Ferris et al.
49 citations
Although new psychoactive substances (NPS) continue to emerge at a rapid rate, US national surveys only measure the use of non-specific categories of NPS and are not designed to access high-risk populations. In this paper we report lifetime use of specific NPS (of 58) and examine correlates of use among a high-risk population: nightlife attendees. The self-selected sample from the Global Drug...