March 21, 2003 Ecstasy Use
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In Brief |
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This report focuses on the use of 34 methylenedioxymethamephetamine (MDMA), commonly known as Ecstasy. The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) asks persons aged 12 or older to report their most recent use of Ecstasy, as well as their age at first use. Based on the responses to these questions, the prevalence of lifetime and past year use and the annual numbers of new (i.e., firsttime) users are estimated. Data were analyzed by geographic region and the type of county in which the respondents lived at the time of the interview.1,2
Figure 1. Percentages of Persons Aged 12 or Older Reporting Past Year Ecstasy Use, by Age Group: 2001 |
Figure 2. Percentages of Persons Aged 12 to 25 Reporting Past Year Ecstasy Use, by Gender and Age Group: 2001 |
Among young adults aged 18 to 25, males were more likely to have used Ecstasy during the past year than females (Figure 2). However, among youths aged 12 to 17, females were more likely to have used Ecstasy during the past year than males. Among both youths and young adults, whites were more likely to have used Ecstasy in the past year than Hispanics, blacks, and American Indians/Alaska Natives (Figure 3).
Among youths, those living in the Midwest were less likely than those in the Northeast or the West to have used Ecstasy in the past year (Figure 4). Among young adults, those in the Northeast were more likely to have used Ecstasy in the past year compared with those in other regions. Persons aged 12 to 25 living in metropolitan areas were more likely to have used Ecstasy in the past year (youths: 3 percent, young adults: 8 percent) than those living in nonmetropolitan areas (youths: 2 percent, young adults: 4 percent).
Among past year Ecstasy users, rates of past year use of marijuana/hashish, inhalants, or psychotherapeutics used nonmedically were similar among youths aged 12 to 17 and young adults aged 18 to 25. However, Ecstasy users aged 12 to 17 were more likely to have used other hallucinogens (LSD: 44 percent, PCP: 15 percent) in the past year than Ecstasy users aged 18 to 25 (LSD: 32 percent, PCP: 4 percent). Past year Ecstasy users aged 18 to 25 were more likely to have used cocaine in the past year (40 percent) than past year Ecstasy users aged 12 to 17 (31 percent).
Figure 3. Percentages of Persons Aged 12 to 25 Reporting Past Year Ecstasy Use, by Race/Ethnicity and Age Group: 2001 |
Figure 4. Percentages of Persons Aged 12 to 25 Reporting Past Year Ecstasy Use, by Region and Age Group: 2001 |
Table 1. Percentages of Persons Aged 12 to 25 Reporting Past Year Illicit Drug Use, by Past Year Ecstasy Use: 2001 |
Northeast Region: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania.
Midwest Region: Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri.
South Region: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana.
West Region: Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Alaska.
The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) is an annual survey sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The 2001 data are based on information obtained from 69,000 persons aged 12 or older. The survey collects data by administering questionnaires to a representative sample of the population through facetoface interviews at their place of residence.
The NHSDA Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS), SAMHSA, and by RTI in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Information and data for this issue are based on the following publication and statistics: Office of Applied Studies. (2002). Results from the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse: Volume I. Summary of national findings (DHHS Publication No. SMA 023758, NHSDA Series H17). Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Also available online: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov. Additional tables available upon request. |
The NHSDA Report is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA. Additional copies of this report or other reports from the Office of Applied Studies are available online: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov. Citation of the source is appreciated. |
This page was last updated on December 30, 2008. |
SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.
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