Characteristics and social representation of ecstasy in Europe - Irefrea

had used ecstasy or a similar substance once in their lifetime was 5,10%, in thepreceding twelvemonths 3,9% and in the preceding month 2,2%. Differentiatingbetween the use of MDMA and any other synthetic drug is not easy since, in additionto the typical aspects such as ecstasy tablets not always containing the said substance,it also has to be added that the Spanish user very often identifies synthetic drugs withrather broad descriptions such as pastillas ‘tablets’. In 1994, the life prevalence amongthe same population was 3,5%, the preceding year 3% and the preceding month 2%.Other substances such as amphetamines, used by the students during the period from1994-1996, rose from 3,3% to 4,15% and the hallucinogens from 4 % to 5,3%according to the same survey. During that same period, there was a significant increasein the use of cannabis, hallucinogens, amphetamines, ecstasy, cocaine and tobaccoamong the Spanish school population, the average age of first use of tobacco, syntheticdrugs and tranquillisers dropping and that of alcohol use rising.In a household survey of the general population, conducted in December 1995 on asample at a national level of 9.984 people over 15 years of age (PLAN NACIONALSOBRE DROGAS, 1997), life prevalence was 1,6%, preceding year 1,1% andpreceding month 0,3%. If we study it by age groups, we find that in the 15 to 18 agegroup, the proportion who had used it at some time was 2,4%, between 19 and 24 years44,9%, and between 25 and 39 years 2,3%. The majority of the users were males(70,1%), aged between 20 and 29 years of age (61,7%), single (77,4%), and lived withtheir family of origin (59,6%). The majority had elementary or secondary education andbelonged to the middle classes. Multi-use among these ecstasy users is frequent andhighly preoccupying as during the preceding year they had taken alcohol (92,2%),cannabis (76%), cocaine (47,3%), amphetamines (30,5%), hallucinogens (29,8%),heroin (19,9%) and tranquillisers or hypnotics (18,6%). Only 29,3% had used ecstasyon 10 or more occasions throughout their life. Asked about the largest number of tabletstaken in one session, 20,3% had taken 3 or more tablets. Among these users adverseeffects were frequently experienced -dry mouth (75,5%), mandibular tension (55,3%)disorientation (45,9%), tachycardia or palpitations (45,5%) anxiety, irritability or panic(37,1%), shivering (34%), auditory or visual hallucinations (31,6%), digestive problems(31,6%) and trembling (21,8%).FRANCEThe expansion in France corresponded to the nineties, above all, the first problemswith the police arising from the raves of 1991. Concern for the phenomenon has led toa hardening of repressive measures since 1996. According to a report of the‘Observatoire Français des Drogues et Toxicomanies’ in March 1997, it was calculatedthat 50,000 people occasionally or habitually use ecstasy and that they are generallymale ,between 18 and 25 years of age, connected to the techno, raves etc. scenes, witha high level of professional users.The situation in France (see also Chapter 8.4.1.) among the general populationbetween 18 and 75 years of age (EMCDDA, 1997b), shows a prevalence of ecstasy use22