Characteristics and social representation of ecstasy in Europe - Irefrea

The Interior Ministry considers that the spread of synthetic drugs in Italy isconstantly increasing and that it represents the most alarming phenomenon in the drugdependencysphere. From the data obtained on the volume of narcotic and psychotropicsubstances intercepted, from the number of deaths related to substance use, from thetrend in each of the substances and from the number of users of public and privateservices, it can be deduced that there is a progressive increase in the demand by youngpeople for stimulant and hallucinogenic products. There is a correlation with such trendand the increase in the traffic accidents which occur at weekends in the early hours ofthe morning (Interior Ministry, 1995).The data relative to detentions and arrests do not always match the real spread of thephenomenon and not only because they can be seen to be affected by legislative changeswith the consequently less repressive attitude of the police (taking as an example the D.P.R.5 June 1993, No. 171) but also for the continually increasing obstacles to preventive andrepressive action of the forces of order, in respect of the changing characteristics of themarket from the diffusion of points of sale and the ease of production.Nevertheless, the data provided by the Ministry of the Interior on the anti-drugactivities of the police forces in 1995 indicate that as far as MDMA doses areconcerned, there was an increase of 110,88% in comparison with the previous year(154.689 compared with 73.354). 917 people (2,81% of those registered for using otherdrugs) received P.G. summonses for offences relating to the production, traffic and saleof MDMA and MDEA. However, there are no official registrations on deaths fromecstasy use. One single case was given for 1995, where a correlation between the causeof death, according to the medical-legal data, and the concomitant use of heroin andMDMA is still to be found. It should be pointed out, however, that in Italy, the policereport does not include information on deaths from other causes, be they induced by,indirectly from or related to the abuse of psychoactives. Figures from the InteriorMinistry show that, up to now, heroin is the substance of abuse that leads to the greaternumber of detentions, arrests and deaths.In view of these observations, it seems obvious that information on the progressivespread are from the press. According to the communications media, ecstasy users inItaly would be 60-85.000 at the present time (Bagozzi, 1996).SCIENTIFIC LITERATURESeveral articles focus their attention on the pharmacological and clinical aspects ofsubstance abuse, with particular reference to the mechanisms of action at apharmacocinetic and pharmacodynamic level and to the acute or long term toxic effecton the white cells. In general, they are bibliographical accounts extracted from thewealth of international literature on the subject (Diana, 1995; Machia and others, 1995;Schifano and others, 1995).Some articles in international publications refer to examples of informative reportson the appearance of psychopathological symptoms from ecstasy use (Benazzi,Mazzoli, 1991; Schifano, 1991; Pallanti, Mazzi, 1992; Schifano, Magni, 1994).140