Identifying the Perceived and Diagnosed Prevalence of Ecstasy Dependence Among Club Rave Attendees

ABSTRACT

The “rave” phenomenon has been a major element in the resurgence of psychedelic drug use in Western society. Purportedly central to raves is the use of “club drugs,” such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or “ecstasy”). To date, however, no studies have attempted to estimate MDMA dependence among rave attendees. In the current study, personal drug data were collected from 154 adult “club rave” attendees along the Baltimore-Washington corridor between September and November 2002. The Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR) Arrestee Drug Screener (CADS) was used to screen for ecstasy dependence. Seventeen percent of the sample was diagnosed with probable MDMA-dcpendencc. MDMA-dependent rave attendees were significantly more likely than non-dependents to be male, white, and to have used most illicit drugs during the 12 months preceding the interview. Logistic regression identified that gender, race, and past-year use of marijuana and PCP were the strongest predictors of MDMA dependence. Implications for these findings are discussed. /Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1- 800-HA WORTH. E-mail address: <[email protected]> Website: <http://www.HaworthPress.com> © 2004 by The Haworth Press. Inc. All rights reserved.]

KEYWORDS:

• CADS
• club raves
• dependence
• MDMA