DanceSafe and ecstasy: protection or promotion?
Lauren Dundes
Journal of Health & Social Policy 2003 DOI: 10.1300/j045v17n01_02 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 700 |
| Population | College students |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key findings | About one-fifth of nonusers said they might be more likely to try ecstasy if DanceSafe were present. Compared with nonusers who planned to abstain, these individuals were more likely to smoke cigarettes, drink and use marijuana regularly at parties, and have more friends who use ecstasy. The authors call for further study of DanceSafe's impact on ecstasy use. |
Abstract
Since dangerous additives to the drug ecstasy can cause potentially lethal hyperthermia, the organization DanceSafe tests ecstasy for such adulterants. This study of over 700 college students examined whether individuals will use or abstain from ecstasy regardless of DanceSafe's presence at raves or whether DanceSafe erodes a powerful deterrent (i.e., the fear of hazardous additives) which may make nonusers more likely to try it. About 1/5 of nonusers said they might be more likely to try ecstasy if DanceSafe were present. In comparison to nonusers who plan to abstain, however, they were also more likely to be cigarette smokers, drink and use marijuana regularly at parties, and have more friends who use ecstasy. Further study of DanceSafe's impact on ecstasy use is warranted.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on MDMA, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recreational MDMA use in Sydney: a profile of ‘Ecstasy’ users and their experiences with the drug Recreational Ecstasy users recruited via snowball peer network | 1992 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 100 |
| Reducedin vivobinding to the serotonin transporter in the cerebral cortex of MDMA (‘ecstasy’) users Male regular ecstasy users and well-matched controls | 1999 | Cross-sectional association study | n = 20 |
| Patterns of simultaneous polysubstance use in drug using university students Drug-using university students | 2006 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 149 |
| Patterns of recreational drug use at dance events in Edinburgh, Scotland Drug users at dance events in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, aged 16-47, 80% between 18 and... | 2001 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 122 |
| Acute, sub‐acute and long‐term subjective consequences of ‘ecstasy’ (MDMA) consumption in 430 regular users Regular MDMA users | 2003 | Cross-sectional study | n = 466 |