Club drugs are
being used by young adults at all-night dance parties such
as "raves" or "trances," dance clubs,
and bars. MDMA (Ecstasy), GHB, Rohypnol, ketamine, methamphetamine,
and LSD are some of the club or party drugs gaining popularity.
NIDA-supported (National Institute on Drug Abuse) research
has shown that use of club drugs can cause serious health
problems and, in some cases, even death. Used in combination
with alcohol, these drugs can be even more dangerous.
Club drugs are attractive to today’s youth because they are
inexpensive and produce increased stamina and intoxicating
highs. Because many of these drugs are colorless, tasteless,
and odorless, they can be secretly added to beverages by individuals
who want to intoxicate or sedate others.
Research has shown that club drugs can have long-lasting
negative effects on the brain, especially on memory function
and motor skills. When club drugs are combined with alcohol,
the effect is intensified, and they become even more dangerous
and potentially fatal.
The
most widely used club drugs:
- Ecstasy Also
known as MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine), Ecstasy is
a stimulant that combines the effects of amphetamines and
hallucinogens.
- Rohypnol Known
as the “date rape drug,” Rohypnol is a central nervous system
depressant that produces sedative-hypnotic effects, muscle
relaxation, and amnesia.
- Ketamine A
rapid-acting general anesthetic, ketamine produces a wide
range of feelings, from weightlessness to out-of-body or
near-death experiences.
- GHB (gamma
hydroxybutyrate). Originally available over the counter
in health food stores to aid body builders, GHB and other
synthetic steroids are also used for their euphoric effects.
- LSD (lysergic
acid diethylamide). This hallucinogen produces unpredictable
effects, depending on the amount taken, the surroundings
in which the drug is used, and the user’s personality, mood,
and expectations.
- Methamphetamine
Among the club drugs discussed in this page, methamphetamine
accounts for the largest use and is most frequent in metropolitan
areas in the western U.S.
Club Drugs and
Emergency Department Visits
Cumulatively, 2601 deaths associated with methamphetamine
abuse, 46 deaths associated with Ketamine and 27 with MDMA
were reported by participating medical examiners over the
5-year period from 1994 to 1998.
Methamphetamine abuse can lead to memory loss, aggressive
behavior, violence, psychotic and paranoid behavior, and potential
cardiac and neurological damage.
LSD is the next most common in emergency department (ED)
visit mentions, followed by GHB, MDMA (Ecstasy), Rohypnol,
and Ketamine.
ED episodes involving club drugs usually involve multiple
substances, such as marijuana, cocaine, and other club drugs.
Alcohol is a particularly common factor in these episodes.
ED episodes related to GHB, Ketamine, and MDMA increased
significantly from 1994 to 1999, and GHB and MDMA mentions
increased dramatically from 1997 to 1999.
Young people are disproportionately represented in ED visits
involving club drugs.
Source: U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services. SAMHSA's Center for Substance
Abuse Prevention. Prevention Alert: Club Drugs: A New Community
Threat (Volume 3, Number 24 ed.) Washington, DC: U.S. Government
Printing Office. Retrieved September 23, 2002 from the World
Wide Web:http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/govpubs/prevalert/v3i24.aspx
Source: U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration. DAWN Report: Club Drugs (PHD856)Washington,
DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved September 23,
2002 from the World Wide Web:http://www.samhsa.gov/oas/DAWN/clubdrug.htm
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