Exploring the Relationship Between Race and Ecstasy Involvement Among a Sample of Arrestees

• NCJ Number: 200625
• Journal: Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse Volume: 1 Issue: 4 Dated: 2002 Pages: 49-61
• Author(s): Blake J. Urbach M.S.; K. Michael Reynolds Ph.D.; George S. Yacoubian, Jr. Ph.D.
• Editor(s): Peter L. Myers Ph.D.
• Date Published: 2002
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper explores the relationship between race and ecstasy possession and sale by using official arrest data from a sample of arrestees charged with drug offenses in Orange County, FL, between 1995 and 1999.

Abstract

MDMA, or ecstasy, emerged during the mid-1970's as a therapeutic agent and in 1985 was classified by the DEA as a Schedule I substance due to its potential neurotoxic effects and increased recreational use. Subjective reports have suggested that the use of ecstasy is primarily a White phenomenon. However, the relationship between race and ecstasy use is noticeably absent in scholarly social science literature. To address this limitation and explore the relationship between race and ecstasy possession and sale, official arrest data were utilized from a sample of 1,216 arrestees charged with drug offenses in Orange County, FL, between 1995 and 1999. It is hypothesized that White arrestees are significantly more likely to be charged with an ecstasy-related offense than their non-White counterparts. Arrestees were divided into three subgroups: (1) those whose primary charge was related to ecstasy possession; (2) those whose primary offense was related to ecstasy sale; and (3) those whose primary charge was unrelated to ecstasy. Data analysis was achieved in three phases: descriptive statistics, chi-square statistics, and logistic regression. Findings illustrated that arrestees charged with ecstasy possession or sale were significantly more likely to be White than their non-ecstasy shared counterparts. The logistic regression analyses indicated that White arrestees were more than 20 times as likely to be arrested for an MDMA-related offense than non-White arrestees. The results suggest that ecstasy involvement may be primarily a White phenomenon. It is recommended that policy efforts be targeted to the sub-population most inclined to its involvement. References