Ecstasy Fatalities Increasing

Youth and healthy individuals are increasingly dying from ecstasy use. A new release in Science Daily highlights a paper by a University of Hertfordshire academic which reports that ecstasy-related death rates in young users is cause for concern.

Lead author on this paper is Professor Fabrizio Schifano at the University’s School of Pharmacy. Schifano and his colleagues reviewed stimulant-related deaths from the np-SAD database and from the British Crime Survey 2001-2007 results. In this review, the researchers found 832 amphetamine and methylamphetamine-related deaths and 605 ecstasy-related deaths.

The element of higher concern identified the fact that the fatalities from ecstasy during that period

were typically identified in victims who appeared to be young and healthy.

The report findings included an 11-year, UK-wide analysis of mortality from these drugs. The deaths reported seemed to have dropped in 2000, only to peak again over the years since that time. Another drop occurred in 2003, only to once again increase consistently over time.

Commenting on the findings, Professor Schifano said: “These data seem to support the hypothesis that young individuals seem to suffer extreme consequences after excessive intake of ecstasy. This is an issue of public health concern which deserves further studies.”

It is unclear as to what is driving additional use of ecstasy and the overuse of the drug. Other industry studies have examined the use and its causes, but in this particular study, researchers only identified trends.

It does also highlight an area of concern for the young and healthy. It is likely that education and prevention measures have missed the boat on dangers associated with these drugs and proper measures must be taken to reverse the trend.