NCJ Number
214334
Journal
Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Dated: 2006 Pages: 1-14
Date Published
2006
Length
14 pages
Annotation
A convenience sample of young adults (ages 18-25) completed anonymous surveys in dance clubs and other social setting in New York City, in order to determine their patterns of use for "club drugs" (e.g., MDMA/ecstasy, GHB, ketamine, crystal methamphetamine, cocaine, and LSD).
Abstract
Based on the study findings, the authors recommend primary prevention interventions (education designed to prevent first use) for young adult women and secondary intervention (treatment to stop current drug use) for young adult men. Nearly 40 percent of the 566 young adults who completed surveys reported using at least 1 club drug in the past 6 months; polydrug use was common among club drug users. Consistent with other studies, men were more likely than women to report having used each of the following club drugs in the past 6 months: MDMA, LSD, cocaine, ketamine, methamphetamine, and GHB. Contrary to previous findings, gay/lesbian youth were not more likely to have used club drugs than heterosexual youth. Although only 5.3 percent of the sample reported GHB use, nearly half of them reported using the drug for the first time in the past 6 months. Similarly, 30.2 percent of methamphetamine users began using the drug in the past 6 months. These findings on recent starts in using a particular club drug suggest that the prevalence of use for a particular club drug may escalate rapidly among young adults. The research was conducted over a period of 4 weeks in March 2002. Participants were recruited in dance clubs and college campus "hangouts" and coffee shops in New York City. The questionnaire used a Likert scale that measured the frequency of use from never to daily. The survey obtained data on a respondent's age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and school status. The survey took approximately 5 minutes to complete. 2 tables and 38 references