bluegirl
Bluelighter
- Joined
- May 19, 2000
- Messages
- 687
I found this article yesterday in the Courier Mail.....
Users say ecstasy cheaper than booze
Siobhain Ryan
30apr02
A NIGHT out on ecstasy in Brisbane is cheaper than one spent at the pub, according to users.
But they claim increasing use of the party drug has spawned a new set of pressures, with more than three-quarters of users blaming ecstasy for relationship and money problems.
The report Queensland Party Drug Trends 2001, to be released today, found that the market for ecstasy in southeast Queensland is on the rise.
"This demand is increasing, the access to ecstasy appears to be improving and the price decreasing," it says.
"This trend will probably continue for as long as there is a thriving rave and dance culture scene."
The study, from the Queensland Alcohol and Drug Research and Education Centre at the University of Queensland, estimates the number of rave party venues in the Brisbane metro region has tripled in the past year.
At the same time, ecstasy has spilled over into more common community usage.
It has established itself in "coffee lounges, private homes and recovery sessions".
The annual survey of 126 southeast Queensland users found that most rate ecstasy as cheaper than drinking, partly because they can drive home "not under the influence of alcohol".
Alcohol and Drug Foundation Queensland chief executive officer Bob Aldred said the results highlighted a "very disturbing trend" – one that mirrored other studies that reported an 80 per cent jump in illicit drug use statewide.
"In my opinion, ecstasy does far greater damage in a different way than heroin does. It doesn't kill kids but it leaves them physical and mental wrecks," he said.
More than half of ecstasy users report symptoms ranging from insomnia and weight loss to tremors and heart palpitations, which they mostly attributed to the drug.
Psychological side-effects are common, ranging from confusion and memory loss to paranoia and panic attacks.
"We see the effects of people using ecstasy suffering from sleep deprivation, lack of nutrition and therefore loss of employment," Mr Aldred said.
"There's also a drug-induced psychosis we're seeing a lot of, that manifests itself as aggression and other psychotic behaviour."
Mr Aldred said one of the biggest problems was that ecstasy was often laced with other drugs, or substituted entirely with methamphetamines.
"So they don't know what they're buying, and that in itself has inherent dangers for young people," he said.
The number of ecstasy samples seized by Queensland Police dropped to 68 in 2000-01, down from 103 the previous financial year, with most containing only 20-50 per cent pure ecstasy.
The vast majority of ecstasy users, however, had no past convictions and had committed no crimes during the survey period.
Most had finished year 12, were in part or full-time employment and took multiple drugs – particularly alcohol, cannabis and tobacco – over the six-month survey period.
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overall i don't think this was a particularly bad article - but i have a few questions about the report. it said the report was "from the Queensland Alcohol and Drug Research and Education Centre at the University of Queensland" and went for six months. however, i'd really like to know who made up the sample and how the data was collected.
the report claims that more than three-quarters of users blamed ecstasy for relationship and money problems - that's a pretty big call so i'd like to know exactly who made up their population sample (sure, maybe over three-quarters of their sample expressed these concerns but that doesn't mean you can automatically extrapolate that to the wider ecstasy-using population.
however, i quite liked the part where mr alfred warned that one of the biggest problems associated with ecstasy use was the change of impurites or substitution of other drugs entirely.
too tired now, me go bed
bk
Users say ecstasy cheaper than booze
Siobhain Ryan
30apr02
A NIGHT out on ecstasy in Brisbane is cheaper than one spent at the pub, according to users.
But they claim increasing use of the party drug has spawned a new set of pressures, with more than three-quarters of users blaming ecstasy for relationship and money problems.
The report Queensland Party Drug Trends 2001, to be released today, found that the market for ecstasy in southeast Queensland is on the rise.
"This demand is increasing, the access to ecstasy appears to be improving and the price decreasing," it says.
"This trend will probably continue for as long as there is a thriving rave and dance culture scene."
The study, from the Queensland Alcohol and Drug Research and Education Centre at the University of Queensland, estimates the number of rave party venues in the Brisbane metro region has tripled in the past year.
At the same time, ecstasy has spilled over into more common community usage.
It has established itself in "coffee lounges, private homes and recovery sessions".
The annual survey of 126 southeast Queensland users found that most rate ecstasy as cheaper than drinking, partly because they can drive home "not under the influence of alcohol".
Alcohol and Drug Foundation Queensland chief executive officer Bob Aldred said the results highlighted a "very disturbing trend" – one that mirrored other studies that reported an 80 per cent jump in illicit drug use statewide.
"In my opinion, ecstasy does far greater damage in a different way than heroin does. It doesn't kill kids but it leaves them physical and mental wrecks," he said.
More than half of ecstasy users report symptoms ranging from insomnia and weight loss to tremors and heart palpitations, which they mostly attributed to the drug.
Psychological side-effects are common, ranging from confusion and memory loss to paranoia and panic attacks.
"We see the effects of people using ecstasy suffering from sleep deprivation, lack of nutrition and therefore loss of employment," Mr Aldred said.
"There's also a drug-induced psychosis we're seeing a lot of, that manifests itself as aggression and other psychotic behaviour."
Mr Aldred said one of the biggest problems was that ecstasy was often laced with other drugs, or substituted entirely with methamphetamines.
"So they don't know what they're buying, and that in itself has inherent dangers for young people," he said.
The number of ecstasy samples seized by Queensland Police dropped to 68 in 2000-01, down from 103 the previous financial year, with most containing only 20-50 per cent pure ecstasy.
The vast majority of ecstasy users, however, had no past convictions and had committed no crimes during the survey period.
Most had finished year 12, were in part or full-time employment and took multiple drugs – particularly alcohol, cannabis and tobacco – over the six-month survey period.
-----------------------------
overall i don't think this was a particularly bad article - but i have a few questions about the report. it said the report was "from the Queensland Alcohol and Drug Research and Education Centre at the University of Queensland" and went for six months. however, i'd really like to know who made up the sample and how the data was collected.
the report claims that more than three-quarters of users blamed ecstasy for relationship and money problems - that's a pretty big call so i'd like to know exactly who made up their population sample (sure, maybe over three-quarters of their sample expressed these concerns but that doesn't mean you can automatically extrapolate that to the wider ecstasy-using population.
however, i quite liked the part where mr alfred warned that one of the biggest problems associated with ecstasy use was the change of impurites or substitution of other drugs entirely.
too tired now, me go bed
bk
