NCJ Number
227516
Journal
Substance Use & Misuse Volume: 44 Issue: 6 Dated: 2009 Pages: 848-864
Date Published
2009
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This article reports on the methodology and findings of the Club Drugs and Health Project, which examined the drug-use patterms of a stratified sample of 400 18- to 29-year-olds who were engaged in club-going and drug use in New York City between 2004 and 2006.
Abstract
The study found that 91.7 percent of the sample reported having previously combined at least one club drug with another substance. Not only were ecstasy and cocaine the most common drugs participants had ever used, they were also the most common drugs mixed with another substance. Cocaine and ecstasy also resulted in the greatest number of reported polydrug combinations. With the exception of LSD, there were no significant gender or sexual-orientation differences in whether or not participants had ever combined ecstasy, ketamine, GHB, methamphetamine, or cocaine with another substance. Ecstasy was the drug most commonly used in mixtures with other drugs. Although participants often cited alcohol and club drug combinations, such combinations may be underestimated, since not all participants viewed alcohol as a "drug" in their reporting. These findings indicate the need for interventions that target polydrug use among individuals engaged in a club-going lifestyle where they are exposed to a subculture of polydrug use. Using time-space sampling to recruit subjects, venues were selected randomly from a list of 223 dance clubs, bars, and lounges in New York City, as well as special events throughout the city. Participants self-reported demographic characteristics, drug use, and polydrug use. The club drugs of interest were ecstasy, ketamine, GHB, methamphetamine, cocaine, and LSD/acid. 3 tables and 54 references