www.ccsa.ca www.cclt.ca Spring 2015 Canadian Drug Summary MDMA (Ecstasy, Molly) Ky points Th prvalnc of past-yar cstasy us is lss than 1% and has dcrasd by half sinc 2008. 1 in 25 Canadian youth in grads 10 12 hav rportd using cstasy in th past 12 months. Substancs sold as cstasy or Molly might not contain MDMA and might also contain othr chmicals. Introduction MDMA (3,4-mthylndioxy-N-mthamphtamin) is a synthtically drivd chmical that is usd rcrationally as a party drug. Colloquially, MDMA is rfrrd to as cstasy or molly. Ths drugs ar mad in illgal laboratoris, oftn with a numbr of diffrnt chmicals; thy might not contain MDMA and th amount of MDMA containd in ach batch can vary significantly. Ecstasy and molly ar availabl in pill, capsul and powdr forms, making it vry difficult to ascrtain th tru contnts of th drug. Pills ar typically colourd and stampd with a logo. Illgal drugs, including cstasy, accountd for approximatly $8.2 billion (about 20%) of th narly $40 billion cost of substanc abus in Canada in 2002. 1 Effcts of MDMA Us Short-trm: Th short-trm ffcts of MDMA us includ muscl achs; 2 nausa and vomiting; 2,3 tth grinding; 2,3,4 incrasd nrgy; 3,4 hypractivity; 3 acclratd hart rat; 2,3,4 incrasd tmpratur and swating; 2,3,4 dprssion; 3 and slplssnss. 2 Long-trm: Th long-trm ffcts of MDMA us includ slping problms; 2,3,4,5,6 high blood prssur; livr problms; 7 panic attacks; 5 jaundic; 7 mmory dficits; 4,5,8,9 and attntion dficits. 5 Lgal Status in Canada MDMA is a Schdul I drug undr th Canadian Controlld Drugs and Substancs Act (CDSA). Possssion of MDMA can rsult in svn yars imprisonmnt, whil trafficking and production of th drug can rsult in lif imprisonmnt. Canadian Cntr on Substanc Abus Cntr canadin d lutt contr ls toxicomanis 1
Past-Yar Us of Ecstasy in Canada Figur 1. Prvalnc of slf-rportd past-yar us of cstasy by ag catgory 7.0% 6.0% 5.0% 4.0% 3.0% 2.0% Youth (15-24) Gnral Population (15+) Adults (25+) 1.0% 0.0% 2008* 2009* 2010 2011* 2012* 2013* Sourcs: CADUMS 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012; CTADS 2013 Not: Figurs idntifid with an astrisk should b intrprtd with caution du to high sampling variability. Figurs for youth ar not availabl for 2012 du to data supprssion. Figurs for adults ar not availabl for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 du to data supprssion. Gnral population (ag 15+): Th prvalnc of past-yar cstasy us among th gnral population is quit low and has dcrasd by half sinc 2008. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 Th most rcnt stimat, takn from th 2013 Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survy (CTADS), indicats that only 0.4%* of Canadians ovr th ag of 15 rportd using cstasy in th past yar. 15 Studnts (grads 7 12): Findings from th 2012 2013 Youth Smoking Survy indicat that 2.6% of Canadian studnts in grads 7 12 rportd using cstasy in th past 12 months. Studnts in grads 10 12 had a significantly highr prvalnc of past-yar cstasy us than studnts in grads 7 9 (4.3% vs. 0.9%). Th prvalnc of past-yar cstasy us among studnts was similar btwn mals and fmals (2.9% and 2.3%, rspctivly). 16 Youth (ag 15 24): Youth hav th highst prvalnc of past-yar cstasy us among all Canadians sampld in th gnral population. According to th 2013 CTADS, th past-yar prvalnc of cstasy us among youth was 1.9%*. 16 Adults (ag 25+): Du to an insufficint numbr of rspondnts, it is not possibl to rport th pastyar prvalnc of cstasy us among Canadian adults using 2013 CTADS data. 16 Canadian Cntr on Substanc Abus Cntr canadin d lutt contr ls toxicomanis 2
Past-Yar Us among High-Risk Populations Figur 2. Prvalnc of slf-rportd past-yar cstasy us among high risk populations by city (2013) 100.0% 90.0% 80.0% 70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% Strt Entrnchd Adult Drug Usrs Strt-Involvd Youth Drug Usrs Rcrational Drug Usrs Sourc: 2012-2013 Monitoring of Alcohol and Drug Us among High-Risk Populations Study (HRPS) Strt Entrnchd Adults: 1 In 2012, th prvalnc of past-yar cstasy us among strt ntrnchd adults rangd from 7.7% in Calgary, Albrta, to 33.8% in Toronto, Ontario. 17. In 2013, th past-yar prvalnc of cstasy us among strt ntrnchd adults rangd from 7.5% in Vancouvr, British Columbia, to 27.5% in Toronto, Ontario (s Figur 2). 17 Compard to strtinvolvd youth and rcrational drug usrs, strt ntrnchd adults had th lowst slf-rportd prvalnc of past-yar cstasy us in all citis whr data was providd for both 2012 and 2013. 17,18,19 Strt Involvd Youth: 2 In 2012, th prvalnc of past-yar cstasy us among strt involvd youth rangd from 27.5% in Halifax, Nova Scotia to 50.6% in Montral, Qubc. 18 In 2013, th pastyar prvalnc of cstasy us among strt-involvd youth rangd from 30.0% in Calgary, Albrta, to 72.2% in Toronto, Ontario (s Figur 2). 18 Rcrational Drug Usrs: 3 In 2012, th prvalnc of past-yar cstasy us among rcrational drug usrs rangd from 30.8% in Winnipg, Manitoba, to 78.8% in Montral, Qubc. 19 In 2013, th prvalnc of past-yar cstasy us among rcrational drug usrs rangd from 32.5% in Winnipg, Manitoba, to 75.0% in Rgina, Saskatchwan (s Figur 2). 19 With th xcption of Winnipg in 1 Strt-ntrnchd adults includ individuals 19 yars of ag or oldr with no prmannt shltr. To b includd in th study, thy had to hav usd at last on drug (xcluding alcohol and tobacco) at last onc in ach of th last six months prior to ach of th intrviws. 2 Strt-involvd youth includ individuals 15 24 yars of ag who might b xprincing total homlssnss; hav tmporary, but not prmannt, shltr; us srvics orintd to strt youth; or wr idntifid by local stakholdrs as strt-involvd. To b includd in th study, thy had to hav usd at last on drug (xcluding alcohol and tobacco) at last onc in ach of th last six months prior to ach of th intrviws. 3 Rcrational drug usrs includ individuals that wr rcruitd at an vnt-spcific sit (.g., rav, warhous party) or prmannt night club sits. To b includd in th study, thy had to hav usd at last on drug (xcluding alcohol and tobacco) at last onc in ach of th last six months prior to ach of th intrviws. Canadian Cntr on Substanc Abus Cntr canadin d lutt contr ls toxicomanis 3
2012, and Toronto and Montral in 2013, rcrational drug usrs had th highst slf-rportd prvalnc of past-yar cstasy us among all thr high-risk populations. 17,18,19 Ranking among Top Fiv Substancs Tabl 1. Top fiv substancs usd in th past yar by Canadians #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 Gnral Population (15+) Alcohol (75.9%) Cannabis (10.6%) Cocain/Crack (0.9%)* Hallucinogns and Salvia (0.6%)* Ecstasy (0.4%)* Youth (15-24) Alcohol (72.6%) Cannabis (24.4%) Hallucinogns and Salvia (2.7%) Cocain/Crack (2.4%) Ecstasy (1.4%)* Adults (25+) Alcohol (76.5%) Cannabis (8.0%) N/A (supprssd) N/A (supprssd) N/A (supprssd) Sourc: CTADS 2013 Not: Figurs idntifid with an astrisk should b intrprtd with caution du to high sampling variability. Past-Yar Us of Ecstasy Intrnationally According to data obtaind from th Unitd Nations Offic of Drugs and Crim (UNODC), Canada had a lowr past-yar prvalnc of cstasy us among th gnral population than th Unitd Stats and England and Wals. 1.8% 1.6% 1.4% 1.2% Figur 3. Intrnational past-yar us of cstasy 1.0% 0.8% 0.6% Canada Unitd Stats England and Wals 0.4% 0.2% 0.0% 2009 2010 2011 2012 Sourc: data.unodc.org Canadian Cntr on Substanc Abus Cntr canadin d lutt contr ls toxicomanis 4
Enforcmnt In 2012, 51.4 kilograms (66,048 tablts) of cstasy-typ substancs wr sizd in Canada. 20 In th sam yar, polic rportd: 348 incidnts of cstasy possssion (187 chargs); 163 incidnts of cstasy trafficking (106 chargs); and Six incidnts of cstasy production (four chargs). In 2013, cstasy-rlatd possssion and trafficking incidnts rportd by polic dcrasd by 19.3% and 16.6% rspctivly, whil incidnts of cstasy production incrasd by 33.3%. 21 Fdral Initiativs to Addrss th Problm Bill C-10, known as th Saf Strts and Communitis Act, rcivd royal assnt in March 2012. This bill introducd mandatory minimum sntncs for trafficking in MDMA (cstasy, molly) whn aggravating factors such as violnc (on yar) or proximity to a school (two yars) ar prsnt. 22 Judgs ar not rquird to impos ths mandatory minimums if offndrs complt a drug tratmnt court or othr court-approvd addiction tratmnt program. Additional Rsourcs Cross-Canada Rport on Studnt Alcohol and Drug Us Canadian Studnt Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survy www.xprimnt.ca ISBN 978-1-77178-243-2 Canadian Cntr on Substanc Abus 2015 Th Canadian Cntr on Substanc Abus changs livs by bringing popl and knowldg togthr to rduc th harm of alcohol and othr drugs on socity. W partnr with public, privat and non-govrnmntal organizations to improv th halth and safty of Canadians. CCSA activitis and products ar mad possibl through a financial contribution from Halth Canada. Th viws of CCSA do not ncssarily rprsnt th viws of th Govrnmnt of Canada. Canadian Cntr on Substanc Abus Cntr canadin d lutt contr ls toxicomanis 5
1 Rhm, J., Baliunas, D., Brochu, S., Fischr, B., Gnam, W., Patra, J., Taylor, B. (2006). Th costs of substanc abus in Canada 2002. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Cntr on Substanc Abus. 2 National Institut of Drug Abus. (2006). MDMA (Ecstasy) Abus. Rtrivd from http://www.drugabus.gov/publications/rsarchrports/mdma-cstasy-abus/lttr-dirctor. 3 Bayln, C.A., & Rosnbrg, H. (2006). A rviw of th acut subjctiv ffcts of MDMA/cstasy. Addiction, 101(7), 933 947. 4 Ttr, C.J., & Guthri, S.K. (2001). A comprhnsiv rviw of MDMA and GHB: two common club drugs. Pharmacothrapy, 21(12), 1486 1513. 5 Maxwll, J.C. (2005). Party drugs: proprtis, prvalnc, pattrns, and problms. Substanc Us Misus, 40(9 10), 1203 1240. 6 Chummun, H., Tilly, V., & Ib, J. (2010). 3,4-mthylndioxyamftamin (cstasy) us rducs cognition. British Journal of Nursing, 19(2), 94 100. 7 Hall, A.P., & Hnry, J.A. (2006). Acut toxic ffcts of 'Ecstasy' (MDMA) and rlatd compounds: ovrviw of pathophysiology and clinical managmnt. British Journal of Anasthsia, 96(6), 678 685. 8 Blagrov, M., Sddon, J., Gorg, S., Parrott, A.C., Stickgold, R. Walkr, M.P., Morgan, M.J. (2011). Procdural and dclarativ mmory task prformanc, and th mmory consolidation function of slp, in rcnt and abstinnt cstasy/mdma usrs. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 25(4), 465 477. 9 Brown, J., McKon, E., & Ward, J. (2010). Dficits of long-trm mmory in cstasy usrs ar rlatd to cognitiv complxity of th task. Psychopharmacology, 209(1), 51 67. 10 Halth Canada. (2013). Canadian Alcohol and Drug Us Monitoring Survy: Summary of rsults for 2012. Ottawa, ON: Author. 11 Halth Canada. (2012). Canadian Alcohol and Drug Us Monitoring Survy: Summary of rsults for 2011. Ottawa, ON: Author. 12 Halth Canada. (2011). Canadian Alcohol and Drug Us Monitoring Survy: Summary of rsults for 2010. Ottawa, ON: Author. 13 Halth Canada. (2010). Canadian Alcohol and Drug Us Monitoring Survy: Summary of rsults for 2009. Ottawa, ON: Author. 14 Halth Canada. (2009). Canadian Alcohol and Drug Us Monitoring Survy: Summary of rsults for 2008. Ottawa, ON: Author. 15 Statistics Canada. (2015). Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survy: Summary of rsults for 2013. Ottawa, ON: Author. 16 Halth Canada. (2013). Youth Smoking Survy 2012 2013: Supplmntary Tabls. Ottawa, ON: Author. 17 Halth Canada. (2014). Monitoring of Alcohol and Drug Us among High-Risk Populations Study (HRPS): Strt-Entrnchd Adult Drug Prvalnc Rsults 2012 2013. Ottawa, ON: Author. 18 Halth Canada. (2014). Monitoring of Alcohol and Drug Us among High-Risk Populations Study (HRPS): Strt-Involvd Youth Drug Usrs Prvalnc Rsults 2012 2013. Ottawa, ON: Author. 19 Halth Canada. (2014). Monitoring of Alcohol and Drug Us among High-Risk Populations Study (HRPS): Rcrational Drug Usrs Prvalnc Rsults 2012 2013. Ottawa, ON: Author. 20 Unitd Nations Offic on Drugs and Crim. (2012). Drug sizurs rport. Vinna, Austria: Author. 21 Statistics Canada. (2015). Incidnt-basd crim statisitcs by dtaild violations. Ottawa, ON: Author. 22 Barntt, L., Dupuis, T., Kirkby, C., MacKay, R., Nicol, J., & Béchard, J. (2012). Lgislativ summary of Bill C-10: An Act to nact th Justic for Victims of Trrorism Act and to amnd th Stat Immunity Act, th Criminal Cod, th Controlld Drugs and Substancs Act, th Corrctions and Conditional Rlas Act, th Youth Criminal Justic Act, th Immigration and Rfug Protction Act and othr Acts. Ottawa, ON: Library of Parliamnt. Canadian Cntr on Substanc Abus Cntr canadin d lutt contr ls toxicomanis 6