Death rates from ecstasy (MDMA, MDA) and polydrug use in England and Wales 1996–2002
Fabrizio Schifano, Adenekan Oyefeso, John Corkery, Kathryn Cobain, Rosemary Anne Jambert-Gray, Giovanni Martinotti, A. Hamid Ghodse
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental September 19, 2003 DOI: 10.1002/hup.528 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 202 |
| Population | Ecstasy-related fatalities in England and Wales, August 1996–April 2002 |
| Duration | August 1996 to April 2002 |
| Topics | Addiction MDMA |
| Keywords | Polypharmacy Demography |
| Citations | 93 |
| Key findings | Ecstasy-related deaths in England and Wales rose steadily from 1996 to 2002, with most victims being young men and only 17% of deaths involving ecstasy alone. |
Abstract
Abstract The present study reports on all deaths related to taking ecstasy (alone, or in a polydrug combination) occurring in England and Wales in the time frame August 1996–April 2002. Data presented here are based on all information recorded in the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths (np‐SAD) database. The np‐SAD regularly receives all information on drug related deaths in addicts and non addicts from coroners. A total of 202 ecstasy‐related fatalities occurred in the chosen time‐frame, showing a steady increase in the number of deaths each year. The ratio male:female was 4:1 and 3 of 4 victims were younger than 29. In 17% of cases ecstasy was the sole drug implicated in death and in the remaining cases a number of other drugs (mostly alcohol, cocaine, amphetamines and opiates) have been found. According to toxicology results, MDMA accounted for 86% of cases and MDA for 13% of cases; single deaths were associated with MDEA and PMA. This is the largest sample of ecstasy related deaths so far; possible explanations are given for the observed steady increase in ecstasy‐related deaths and a tentative ‘rationale’ for this polypharmacy combination is then proposed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.