MDMA powder, pills and crystal: the persistence of ecstasy and the poverty of policy

Ecstasy (MDMA) use in Britain has declined since 2001 according to the British Crime Survey, but a new form of MDMA powder or crystal has emerged as a 'premium' product, rebranded in response to user dissatisfaction with poor-quality pills. These changes occurred within a policy context that prioritized the drugs-crime relationship through coercive treatment of problem drug users and a focus on binge drinking, leading to a reduction in information, support, and treatment for ecstasy users since the mid-1990s Safer Dancing harm reduction model.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Commonly known as ecstasy, MDMA has been central to the British acid house, rave and dance club scene over the last 20 years. Figures from the annual national British Crime Survey suggest that ecstasy use has declined since 2001. This apparent decline is considered here alongside the concurrent emergence of a ‘new’ form of ecstasy ‐ MDMA powder or crystal ‐ and the extent to which this can be seen as a successful rebranding of MDMA as a ‘premium’ product in the wake of user disenchantment with cheap and easily available but poor quality pills. These changes have occurred within a policy context, which in the last decade has increasingly prioritised the drugs‐crime relationship through coercive treatment of problem drug users within criminal justice‐based interventions, alongside a focus on binge drinking and alcohol‐related harm. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the information, support and treatment available to ecstasy users since the height of dance drug harm reduction service provision pioneered by the Safer Dancing model in the mid‐1990s.