12.3 Summary
For the first time, in 2005, participants were asked a series of questions relating to the content, purity and testing of ecstasy tablets and the use of ‘information resources’.
Of the national sample, nearly one-third (36% ) of participants ‘never’ found out the content of drugs other than ecstasy, while a fifth ‘sometimes’ (21% ) or ‘always’ did (21% ).
Twenty-eight percent reported finding out the content of an ecstasy tablet ‘always’ and a further 25% found out ‘most times’ and 23% ‘sometimes’.
Eighty-one percent reported asking a friend about the content of an ecstasy tablet while a further 55% asked a dealer and 26% used testing kits.
Of those who reported using testing kits (n=179), 42% reported using them ‘sometimes’, 26% ‘always’, 18% ‘most times’ and 11% ‘half the time’.
Fifty-six percent stated that they were aware of the limitations of testing kits.
Ninety-eight percent reported that they would still take the tablet if a testing kit revealed that the tablet contained an ‘ecstasy-like substance’
Two-thirds (64% ) of the sample answered ‘testing kits’ followed by ‘local websites’ (56% ) and ‘pamphlets’ (44% ) as the form of drug information source they would find useful. (p. 147 - National report)