Apparently drug use amongst young people has dropped by over 30% over the last 15 years.
In the largest ever survey of drug use among British clubbers, published in this month's edition of Mixmag, there were found to be large year-on-year falls in the number of people taking cannabis (by five percentage points), ketamine (10), ecstasy (five) and cocaine (20). The British Crime Survey tends to underestimate drug use (because it does not include people who are homeless, in prison, or living in student accommodation), and these falls are not the first, but they do cement a trend that is now too solid to ignore. In this country at least, for reasons that remain mysterious, drugs seem to be going out of fashion....
Is this due to the decline of electronic music scene/raves/super clubs from the mainstream population? It can't be a coincidence. Generation ecstasy have all grown up and got kids now and the party days are over for most.
Plus lets be honest how many times have you heard people say that they (cocaine/ecstasy)just aren't as good as they used to be. If dealers sell rubbish drugs for lots of money, people eventually wont bother to buy them, they will find something else....The new generation of kids have found legal highs and super weed which is more available and reliable.
Click the title to read the full story or buy a copy of Mixmag this month
A blog about recreational drugs and clubbing drugs. Aiming to bring you the latest news on drugs from the UK and around the world. Should recreational drugs be legal? If yes which drugs? All of them? Form your opinion...
Thursday 24 February 2011
Watch our for your heart if you are a cocaine user
Its always been talked about, the risk of taking cocaine causing a heart attack. Now it official. 0.9% of all heart attacks were caused by cocaine use. On an individual basis, taking cocaine was shown to raise a person’s risk of having a heart attack 23-fold, according to the study, led by Dr Tim Nawrot, from Hasselt University in Belgium.
In comparison, air pollution led to a 5 per cent extra risk, but since far more people are exposed to traffic fumes and factory emissions than cocaine, the danger posed by Cocaine use is in reality much higher.
Traffic exposure was blamed for 7.4 per cent of heart attacks, followed by physical exertion with 6.2 per cent.
Overall air pollution triggered between 5 per cent and 7 per cent of heart attacks, while drinking alcohol or coffee accounted for 5 per cent.
Other risk factors included negative emotions (3.9 per cent), anger (3.1 per cent), eating a heavy meal (2.7 per cent), positive emotions (2.4 per cent) and sexual activity (2.2 per cent). Cocaine was to blame for 0.9 per cent of heart attacks, but this was because of limited exposure to the drug among the population.
In comparison, air pollution led to a 5 per cent extra risk, but since far more people are exposed to traffic fumes and factory emissions than cocaine, the danger posed by Cocaine use is in reality much higher.
Traffic exposure was blamed for 7.4 per cent of heart attacks, followed by physical exertion with 6.2 per cent.
Overall air pollution triggered between 5 per cent and 7 per cent of heart attacks, while drinking alcohol or coffee accounted for 5 per cent.
Other risk factors included negative emotions (3.9 per cent), anger (3.1 per cent), eating a heavy meal (2.7 per cent), positive emotions (2.4 per cent) and sexual activity (2.2 per cent). Cocaine was to blame for 0.9 per cent of heart attacks, but this was because of limited exposure to the drug among the population.
Wednesday 23 February 2011
MDMA ‘Doesn’t Cause Brain Damage'
A new huge US study of the effects of MDMA ‘specifically designed to minimize the methodological flaws in earlier studies . . . found no ominous, concerning risks to cognitive performance’, US scientists announced this week.
Study chief Doctor John Halpern MD said ‘ecstasy users in the new study showed no signs of cognitive impairment attributable to drug use’ adding ‘ecstasy use did not decrease mental ability.’
The drug expert carried out the research for America’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and ‘eliminated several sources of potential error in previous studies’ they explained in a report published in medical journal Addiction.
“As well as the actual pill-poppers, the non-using control group were also apparently "members of the 'rave' subculture,’ the statement said, “And thus repeatedly exposed to sleep and fluid deprivation from all-night dancing - factors that themselves can produce long-lasting cognitive effects".
Instead Doctor Halpern blamed the dangers associated with ecstasy on its illegality and warned that using it currently remains potentially risky.
“Illegally-made pills can contain harmful contaminants,” the Dr pointed out, “There are no warning labels, there is no medical supervision, and in rare cases people are physically harmed and even die from overdosing. It is important for drug-abuse information to be accurate.”
The most notorious inaccurate ecstasy research was published by US ‘scientist’ George Ricaurte in 2002, when he announced that ecstasy users risked developing Parkinson’s Disease from one night of E-fueled raving, as well as a one in five change of death.
His findings were immediately leapt on by ‘Just say no’ zero tolerance campaigners who were far less vocal when six months later he was forced to admit he’d tested the wrong drug- ultra-strong methamphetamine- by mistake.
"I'm surprised that senior researchers could make an error like that," British drug expert Dr John Henry told New Scientist following Ricaurte’s retraction.
"They should have known from the general background of their work that this was extremely unusual,” the Doctor noted.
Study chief Doctor John Halpern MD said ‘ecstasy users in the new study showed no signs of cognitive impairment attributable to drug use’ adding ‘ecstasy use did not decrease mental ability.’
The drug expert carried out the research for America’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and ‘eliminated several sources of potential error in previous studies’ they explained in a report published in medical journal Addiction.
“As well as the actual pill-poppers, the non-using control group were also apparently "members of the 'rave' subculture,’ the statement said, “And thus repeatedly exposed to sleep and fluid deprivation from all-night dancing - factors that themselves can produce long-lasting cognitive effects".
Instead Doctor Halpern blamed the dangers associated with ecstasy on its illegality and warned that using it currently remains potentially risky.
“Illegally-made pills can contain harmful contaminants,” the Dr pointed out, “There are no warning labels, there is no medical supervision, and in rare cases people are physically harmed and even die from overdosing. It is important for drug-abuse information to be accurate.”
The most notorious inaccurate ecstasy research was published by US ‘scientist’ George Ricaurte in 2002, when he announced that ecstasy users risked developing Parkinson’s Disease from one night of E-fueled raving, as well as a one in five change of death.
His findings were immediately leapt on by ‘Just say no’ zero tolerance campaigners who were far less vocal when six months later he was forced to admit he’d tested the wrong drug- ultra-strong methamphetamine- by mistake.
"I'm surprised that senior researchers could make an error like that," British drug expert Dr John Henry told New Scientist following Ricaurte’s retraction.
"They should have known from the general background of their work that this was extremely unusual,” the Doctor noted.
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