Examination of Firearms Review: 2007 to 2010 - Interpol

groups were in the following order: Cannabis (THCCOOH); amphetamine/MA;
benzoylecgonine; diazepam-related; and opiates and alprazolam [190]. 59
fatalities that tested positive for MDMA during the period of 2001 to 2008 in
Taiwan were studied [191]. Among the fatalities, ketamine was found in 28
cases, indicating the popularity of this drug in Taiwan. The cause of death was
mainly acute intoxication, with a mean MDMA concentration of 2.75 µg/mL,
while the manner of death was predominately accidental.
2.5.3 GHB
Several studies of GHB use were conducted in the U.K. [192,193,194]. 189
individuals that reported at least one lifetime use of GHB in the U.K. completed
an online questionnaire, which indicated that the primary use of GHB was for
recreation [192]. In another study on 173 individuals with recreational drug
toxicity and requiring "medical" assistance in a large urban nightclub from
September 2007 to January 2008, the results showed that the majority of them
were not first-time recreational drug users, and that they used a variety of
recreational drugs, particularly GHB, gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), and
ketamine [193]. Although the use of GHB is controlled in many countries, its
precursors GBL and 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD) remain legally available despite
having similar clinical effects (GBL is now controlled in U.K., Canada, Australia,
and Sweden). A self-reported study found that GHB ingestion was much more
common than GBL ingestion, whereas GBL was more commonly found in the
seized samples, suggesting that GBL use may be more common than
previously thought [194].
A National Drug Strategy Household Survey in Australia showed that 0.5% of
Australians aged 14 years or older reported ever using GHB, and 0.1%
reported recent use, with the prevalence of use being highest amongst those
aged 20-29 years [195].
2.5.4 Ketamine
In a national survey in Taiwan from 2004 to 2006, a decline was noted in the
prevalence and incidence rate of ecstasy, a leading illegal drug used by
school-attending adolescents in Taiwan since the early 2000s. The emerging
ketamine use trend, being the first commonly used illegal drug in the middle
school-aged students starting in 2006, may warrant more attention [196]. Data
analyzed from the 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey in Australia
640