Ecstasy use falls while synthetic versions grow in popularity

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDMay 10 2011

Where on one hand the use of ecstasy (MDMA or 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is falling in Australia, experts are warning that the use of dangerous designer synthetic drugs, which can be made legally, may begin to rise. Ecstasy, one of the most popular “recreational” drugs in Australia over the past two decades is becoming less popular with regular users, consistent with global trends, say the authors of a new report from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of NSW.

According to a new study ecstasy use in Australia and internationally is gradually dropping, largely due to a decrease in the purity of the drug, which makes it less effective, consequently denying users the high for their money. Professor Michael Farrell, who led the University of New South Wales National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre study, says 56 per cent of the 700 people surveyed reported a significant drop in the drug's purity. He says that figure is up from 9 per cent of users who reported the same thing in 2009. He said, “People stop using when [the drugs] don't deliver the effects that they want from them and they'll spend their money on something else. That's particularly true if they're regular users.”

The study showed that 16 per cent of those surveyed are using synthetic drugs such as mephedrone, and Professor Farrell is warning their use needs to be monitored. These synthetic drugs are often manufactured to have similar effects to ecstasy and are given street names such as “miaow” or “bubbles”. Professor Farrell says although there is no evidence that synthetic drug use in Australia has risen considerably, certain forms of it can be extremely dangerous. “Methamphetamine is a synthetic drug that's derived from plant products and it's certainly more dangerous than ecstasy. It's more addictive, [causes] more mental health problems and is more likely to be injected and smoked. We've had quite a bit of experience with meth over the years and it's a very problematic drug,” he explained.

Safrole, a colorless or slightly black oil, extracted from the root-bark or the fruit of sassafras plants is the primary precursor for the manufacture of ecstasy.

According to a bulletin from the Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System (EDRS) – Australia’s largest central monitoring system of the use of ecstasy and related drugs, the number of ecstasy users nominating it as their drug of choice had fallen significantly since 2005 and the number using the drug weekly had halved.

Chief investigator of the EDRS, Dr Lucy Burns, says that while the declining use of ecstasy was welcome, Australia, like Europe, is already seeing the emergence of an increasingly diverse range of synthetic chemicals. She said, “We have not to date seen any evidence of widespread use in Australia of these newer synthetic drugs, many of which are available on the internet. However the sheer rate at which these and other chemicals could be synthesised and distributed presents significant challenges from a health perspective and a law enforcement perspective.” Use of mephedrone was particularly high in Tasmania (42 reports) and Victoria (28 reports), said Dr Burns. “Other synthetic chemicals being picked up in our survey include DMT, a hallucinogen similar to LSD, BZP and other psychedelic phenethylamines such as 2CI, 2CB and 2CE,” says Dr Burns.

Matthew Frei, head of clinical services at Eastern Health Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre, says the problem with synthetic drugs is that many strands have been available semi-legally, making it much easier for them to slip through legal loopholes. “There are companies who sell precursors to drugs, so drugs that aren't active, but just need slight modification to become active drugs. There's a lot scope for people to be tricky and ingenious about how these drugs are marketed. With the internet you have a system of global distribution and a very conscious and savvy consumer. It's will always be very hard for law enforcement in a borderless world with the internet to keep up with this,” he explained.

Mr Frei added that although some precursors like mephedrone are now illegal in Australia and other countries, there are many others which are still legal, meaning the drugs made from them are more widely-available. “Drugs like mephedrone or piperazines were created to be similar to ecstasy but were sold legally because they were structurally different. There are... various other legal highs on the market that are yet to be made illegal. The law is constantly trying to catch up with how to respond to these drugs that as time goes on, more will be discovered and developed and more will leak into the illicit drugs market.”

Mr Frei also warned that although some synthetic drugs are reported to be weaker, it means people take more of them, leading to high toxicity and in some cases severe mental health problems. “Certainly the harms and illnesses associated with these drugs (and other stimulant drugs) is very often psychiatric; so a paranoid state that can be transient, or can be part of an underlying paranoid condition that's been aggravated by the drug. Drugs that cause stimulation often cause a crash, so people are going to be susceptible to depression and they could be at risk of harming themselves. We have seen people in treatment who after a period of substance abuse have attempted to hurt themselves, or have become toxic and psychotic. They have delusions that their houses are being bugged, they're being followed, other quite significant delusions that bugs have been put in their bodies, or they have some sort of worm infestation,” he said.

Professor Farrell concluded that although the market in Australia is relatively small at the moment, it is important studies like his are used to help detect problems early so authorities can take action before the problem gets out of hand. “They are drugs that are produced and marketed within a window where it's possible to say they're legal and make some money over a short period of time and then get out of there…They usually get trendy sort of names... and are sold as plant food on the internet and labeled as 'not fit for human consumption'. But it's clear that the people buying them know exactly what they are. Young people need to be aware that these different substances have their own dangers and health effects.”