Club Drugs include Alcohol, LSD (Acid), MDMA (Ecstasy), GHB, GBL,
Ketamine (Special-K), Fentanyl, Rohypnol, amphetamines and methamphetamine.
Club Drugs
MDMA (Ecstasy), Rohypnol,
GHB, and Ketamine are among the drugs used by teens and young adults
who are part of a nightclub, bar, rave, or trance scene. Raves and trance
events are generally night-long dances, often held in warehouses. Many
who attend raves and trances do not use drugs, but those who do may
be attracted to the generally low cost, seemingly increased stamina,
and intoxicating highs that are said to deepen the rave or trance experience.
Current science, however,
is showing change to critical parts of the brain from use of these drugs.
Also, in high doses most of these drugs can cause a sharp increase in
body temperature (malignant hyperthermia) leading to muscle breakdown
and kidney and cardiovascular system failure.
MDMA (Ecstasy)
MDMA is a synthetic, psychoactive drug with both stimulant (amphetamine-like)
and hallucinogenic (LSD-like) properties. Street names for MDMA include
Ecstasy, Adam, XTC, hug, beans, and love drug. Its chemical structure
(3-4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine, "MDMA") is similar to
methamphetamine, methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), and mescaline - these
are synthetic drugs known to cause brain damage. MDMA usually is taken
in pill form, but some users snort it, inject it, or use it in suppository
form.
Many problems MDMA users
encounter are similar to those found with the use of amphetamines and
cocaine. Psychological difficulties can include confusion, depression,
sleep problems, severe anxiety, and paranoia. Physical problems can
include muscle tension, involuntary teeth clenching, nausea, blurred
vision, faintness, and chills or sweating. Use of the drug has also
been associated with increases in heart rate and blood pressure, which
are special risks for people with circulatory or heart disease. Recent
research also links MDMA use to long-term damage to those parts of the
brain critical to thought, memory, and pleasure.
MDMA use is increasing in
most metropolitan areas of the United States.* In Boston and New York
City, it appears to be spreading beyond the club scene to the streets.
Content of the MDMA pills also varies widely, and may include caffeine,
dextromethorphan, heroin, and mescaline. In some areas of the country,
the MDMA-like substance paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA) has been involved
in the deaths of people who mistakenly thought they were taking true
MDMA. The deaths were due to complications from hyperthermia.
In a 5-year retrospective
of emergency room mentions of club drugs,** the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration reports that emergency room mentions
involving MDMA increased from 250 in 1994 to 2,850 in 1999.
Rohypnol, GHB, and Ketamine
GHB, Rohypnol, and ketamine are predominantly central nervous system
depressants. Because they are often colorless, tasteless, and odorless,
they can be added to beverages and ingested unknowingly.
These drugs emerged a few
years ago as "date rape" drugs. Because of concern about their
abuse, Congress passed the "Drug-Induced Rape Prevention and Punishment
Act of 1996" in October 1996. This legislation increased Federal
penalties for use of any controlled substance to aid in sexual assault.
GHB
Since about 1990, GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate) has been abused in the
U.S. for euphoric, sedative, and anabolic (body building) effects. It
is a central nervous system depressant that was widely available over-the-counter
in health food stores during the 1980s and until 1992. It was purchased
largely by body builders to aid fat reduction and muscle building. Street
names include Liquid Ecstasy, Soap, Easy Lay, and Georgia Home Boy.
Even though GHB may be difficult to distinguish from water, it has appeared
in law enforcement indicators, including seizures of large amounts in
Minneapolis/St. Paul and Phoenix.*
Coma and seizures can occur
following abuse of GHB and, when combined with methamphetamine, there
appears to be an increased risk of seizure. Combining use with other
drugs such as alcohol can result in nausea and difficulty breathing.
GHB may also produce withdrawal effects, including insomnia, anxiety,
tremors, and sweating.
GHB and two of its precursors,
gamma butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4 butanediol (BD) have been involved
in poisonings, overdoses, date rapes, and deaths. These products, obtainable
over the internet and sometimes still sold in health food stores, are
also available at some gyms, raves, nightclubs, gay male parties, college
campuses, and the street. They are commonly mixed with alcohol (which
may cause unconsciousness), have a short duration of action, and are
not easily detectable on routine hospital toxicology screens.*
GHB emergency room mentions
increased from 55 in 1994 to 2,973 in 1999.** In 1999, GHB accounted
for 32 percent of illicit drug-related poison center calls in Boston.
In Chicago and San Francisco, GHB use is reportedly low compared with
MDMA, although GHB overdoses seem frequent compared with overdoses related
to other club drugs.
Rohypnol
Rohypnol, a trade name for flunitrazepam, has been of particular concern
for the last few years because of its abuse in date rape. It belongs
to a class of drugs knows as benzodiazepines. When mixed with alcohol,
Rohypnol can incapacitate victims and prevent them from resisting sexual
assault. It can produce "anterograde amnesia," which means
individuals may not remember events they experienced while under the
effects of the drugs. Also, Rohypnol may be lethal when mixed with alcohol
and/or other depressants.
Rohypnol is not approved
for use in the United States, and its importation is banned. Illicit
use of Rohypnol started appearing in the United States in the early
1990s, where it became known as "rophies," "roofies,"
"roach," and "rope." Emergency room mentions of
Rohypnol were 13 in 1994 and increased to 624 in 1998; they decreased
to 540 in 1999.**
Abuse of two other similar
drugs appears to be replacing Rohypnol abuse in Miami, Texas, and Boston.
These are clonazepam, marketed in the U.S. as Klonopin and in Mexico
as Rivotril, and alprazolam (marketed as Xanax). Rohypnol, however,
continues to be a problem among treatment admissions in Texas, particularly
among young Hispanic males along the Mexican border.
Ketamine
Ketamine is an anesthetic that has been approved for both human and
animal use in medical settings since 1970; about 90 percent of the ketamine
legally sold is intended for veterinary use. It can be injected or snorted.
Ketamine is also known as "Special K" or "vitamin K".
Certain doses of ketamine
can cause dream-like states and hallucinations, and it has become common
in club and rave scenes and has been used as a date rape drug.
At high doses, ketamine can
cause delirium, amnesia, impaired motor function, high blood pressure,
depression, and potentially fatal respiratory problems.
Emergency room mentions of
ketamine rose from 19 in 1994 to 396 in 1999.** Recent use has been
reported more frequently among white youth in many cities, including
Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Newark, New
York City, Phoenix, San Diego, Texas, and Washington, DC.*
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