Club drugs are attractive to today’s youth because they
are inexpensive and produce increased stamina and intoxicating
highs. Because many of these drugs are colorless, tasteless,
and odorless, they can be secretly added to beverages by individuals
who want to intoxicate or sedate others.
The most widely used club drugs are:
• Ecstasy. Also
known as MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine), Ecstasy is a
stimulant that combines the effects of Drug they have taken. Methamphetamine is the most commonly abused.">Amphetamines and hallucinogens.
• Rohypnol. Known as the “date rape drug,” Rohypnol is a central
nervous system depressant that produces sedative-hypnotic effects, muscle relaxation,
and amnesia.
• Ketamine. A rapid-acting general anesthetic, ketamine
produces a wide range of feelings, from weightlessness to out-of-body
or near-death experiences.
• GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate).
Originally available over the counter in health food stores
to aid body builders, GHB and other synthetic Steroids are also used for their
euphoric effects.
• LSD (lysergic acid
diethylamide). This hallucinogen produces unpredictable effects,
depending on the amount taken, the surroundings in which the
Drug is used, and the user’s personality, mood, and expectations.
Research has shown that club drugs can have long-lasting
negative effects on the brain, especially on memory function
and motor skills. When club drugs are combined with alcohol,
the effect is intensified, and they become even more dangerous
and potentially fatal.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Prevention Alert: Club Drugs: A New Community Threat (Volume 3, Number 24 ed.) Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Statistics
According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), emergency
department (ED) visits attributable to club drugs are relatively
rare. ED visits for some, but not all, club drugs increased
significantly from 1994 to 1999.
• Among the club drugs discussed in this report, Methamphetamine
accounts for the largest share of DAWN ED mentions and is
most frequent in metropolitan areas in the western U.S.
• LSD is the next most common in ED mentions, followed
by GHB, MDMA (Ecstasy), Rohypnol, and Ketamine.
• ED episodes involving club drugs usually involve multiple
substances, such as marijuana, cocaine, and other club drugs.
Alcohol is a particularly common factor in these ED episodes.
• ED episodes related to GHB, Ketamine, and MDMA increased
significantly from 1994 to 1999, and GHB and MDMA mentions
increased dramatically from 1997 to 1999.
• An apparent increase in Rohypnol mentions was not
statistically significant. That is, the variability in Rohypnol
estimates from 1994 to 1999 is likely due to random fluctuation.
• Young people are disproportionately represented in
ED visits involving club drugs.
Deaths associated with club drugs other than Methamphetamine
are quite rare in DAWN data.
• Cumulatively, 2601 deaths associated with Methamphetamine
abuse, 46 deaths associated with Ketamine and 27 with MDMA
were reported by participating medical examiners over the
5-year period from 1994 to 1998.
• There were no notable increases in deaths involving
club drugs from 1994 to 1998.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. DAWN Report: Club Drugs (PHD856)Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
