CLUB DRUGS CAUSING FEWER EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS

Ecstasy Is Out, But Cocaine On Rise

TORONTO -- Messages about the agony of ecstasy may be getting through
to young partiers. There appears to be a swing away from the use of
club drugs such as ecstasy, GHB, LSD and ketamine, according to a new
U.S. study.

A similar study in Canada finds kids may be substituting cocaine.

Emergency room visits related to the drugs GHB, ketamine, LSD and
ecstasy all remained stable or declined in 2002, reports the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. For GHB, emergency
room visits declined by one-third between 2000 and 2002; for ecstasy,
ER visits remained at 2001 levels; for LSD, ER visits sharply declined
between 1999 and 2002; for ketamine, emergency room visits have
remained low since 1998.

The report is based on U.S. national data for ER visits. It does not
reflect usage of these drugs, but rather times when drug use resulted
in a trip to the ER.

In Canada, there are no such national figures, but statistics from the
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto hint there
may be a similar trend here. The use of ecstasy is on the wane among
students in Ontario, according to a 2003 CAMH study. While the rate of
usage was 4.1% in students in 2003, that is lower than the 6% reported
in 2001. In Alberta, 5.3% of young people use club drugs such as
ecstasy or crystal meth, according to results of the Alberta Youth
Experience Survey 2002.

While percentages may seem low and are decreasing, club drugs are
still widely used by young people in North America. Part of their
danger is kids often don't know what is actually in the pills they are
taking. CAMH warned this summer that many of the pills that are sold
as ecstasy actually contain MDA (3,4 methlenedioxyamphetamine), which
is longer-acting than ecstasy, and/or speed (methamphetamine), which
is highly addictive.

CAMH also warns rates of binge drinking and smoking pot among youth
are steadily rising. Cocaine use has increased from 3.4% in 1999 to
4.8% in 2003