Trends in drug use among nightclub and festival attendees in New York City, 2017-2022.
Joseph J Palamar, Austin Le, Charles M Cleland, Katherine M Keyes
International Journal of Drug Policy May 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.104001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Repeated cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 3,237 |
| Population | Adults entering randomly selected electronic dance music parties at nightclubs and dance festivals in New York City |
| Duration | 2017-2022, with pre-COVID (2017-2019) vs. post-COVID (2021-2022) comparison |
| Topics | Ketamine |
| Keywords | Club drugs Epidemiology Methamphetamine New psychoactive substances Drug-trends Psychedelics-and-entheogens Nightlife-culture Substance-use-patterns Covid19-impact |
| Citations | 41 |
| Key findings | Between 2017 and 2022, past-year and past-month use of psilocybin, ketamine, poppers, synthetic cathinones, and novel psychedelics increased, while past-year heroin use and past-month cocaine, novel stimulant, and nonmedical benzodiazepine use decreased. |
Abstract
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 New York City about their drug use in 2017 (n=954), 2018 (n=1,029), 2019 (n=606), 2021 (n=229), and 2022 (n=419). We estimated trends in past-year and past-month use of 22 drugs or drug classes based on self-report from 2017-2022 and examined whether there were shifts pre- vs. post-COVID (2017-2019 vs. 2021-2022). Between 2017 and 2022, there were increases in past-year and past-month use of shrooms (psilocybin), ketamine, poppers (amyl/butyl nitrites), synthetic cathinones ("bath salts"), and novel psychedelics (lysergamides and DOx series), increases in past-year cannabis use, and increases in past-month use of 2C series drugs. Between 2017 and 2022, there were decreases in past-year heroin use and decreases in past-month cocaine use, novel stimulant use, and nonmedical benzodiazepine use. The odds of use of shrooms, poppers, and 2C series drugs significantly increased after COVID, and the odds of use of cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, methamphetamine, novel stimulants, and prescription opioids (nonmedical use) decreased post-COVID. We estimate shifts in prevalence of various drugs among this sentinel population, which can inform ongoing surveillance efforts and public health response in this and the general populations.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on ketamine, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-Year Trends in Use of Hallucinogens and Other Adjunct Drugs among UK Dance Drug Users People who use drugs in dance contexts | 2006 | Repeated-measures cross-sectional survey | |
| Preliminary analysis of positive and negative syndrome scale in ketamine-associated psychosis in comparison with schizophrenia Healthy subjects, ketamine abusers, and schizophrenia patients | 2014 | Cross-sectional study | n = 998 |
| Ketamine as a primary predictor of out-of-body experiences associated with multiple substance use Online survey respondents | 2011 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 192 |
| Self-reported prevalence of dependence of MDMA compared to cocaine, mephedrone and ketamine among a sample of recreational poly-drug users Global non-treatment-seeking sample of last year users of MDMA, cocaine, mephedrone,... | 2014 | Cross-sectional survey | |
| Near-Death States Reported in a Sample of 50 Misusers Previous ketamine misusers who reported a ketamine-related near-death experience | 2010 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 50 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 15
- Tusi: a new ketamine concoction complicating the drug landscape. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse September 3, 2023
- Trends and characteristics in ketamine use among US adults with and without depression, 2015-2022. Journal of Affective Disorders March 15, 2025
- Prevalence and Correlates of Past Year Ecstasy/MDMA Use in the United States. Journal of Addiction Medicine
- Trends in poisonings involving ketamine in the United States, 2019-2023. Drug and Alcohol Dependence March 1, 2025
- Trends in ketamine use among nightclub attendees in New York City, 2017-2024. International Journal of Drug Policy June 1, 2025
and 10 more in the library
Cites 12
- From PCP to MXE: a comprehensive review of the non-medical use of dissociative drugs. Drug Testing and Analysis 2014
- Motives and Side-Effects of Microdosing With Psychedelics Among Users The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology May 30, 2019
- Monitoring new psychoactive substances (NPS) in The Netherlands: data from the drug market and the Poisons Information Centre. Drug and Alcohol Dependence February 1, 2015
- Adolescent and adult time trends in US hallucinogen use, 2002–19: any use, and use of ecstasy, LSD and PCP Addiction August 17, 2022
- Psychedelic Mushrooms in the USA: Knowledge, Patterns of Use, and Association With Health Outcomes Frontiers in Psychiatry January 3, 2022
and 7 more in the library