Ecstasy users are unknowingly being exposed to other, potentially more harmful drugs: study

For immediate release, July 16, 2004 (TORONTO) - People who request only ecstasy (MDMA) from their suppliers are often receiving tablets that contain two or more other drugs, most notably MDA (3,4-methlenedioxyamphetamine) and methamphetamine (speed), according to a study published yesterday in the Journal of Forensic Sciences.

The study was conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, the US Armed Forces Medical Examiner (Washington, DC), and Health Canada.

What is surprising to the investigators is the resurgence of the old drug MDA (also known as "the love drug") that was popular in the US and Canada during the 1970s, which has since been thought to have largely disappeared from use.

"Although our study was based on a small sample size, our research shows that people who purchase and use ecstasy need to be aware that ecstasy tablets can contain two drugs which may actually be more dangerous than ecstasy: MDA, which is longer-acting than ecstasy, and methamphetamine, which can be highly addictive," says Dr. Stephen Kish, CAMH Scientist, the lead investigator.

Kish suspects that the addition of MDA and methamphetamine to ecstasy tablets by clandestine labs might increase the desirability and the stimulant effect of the drug.

The use of ecstasy among Ontario Students was 6% in 2001. However in 2003, the Ontario Student Drug Use Survey (OSDUS) showed that the use of the drug has decreased to 4.1%.

More research must be conducted in order to understand why these other drugs are being used to produce ecstasy. However, users should be aware of the risk of ingesting other drugs that are being misrepresented as ecstasy.

CAMH is a Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization Collaborating Centre and a teaching hospital fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.

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For more information please contact Sylvia Hagopian, Media Relations Coordinator CAMH, at (416) 595-6015