Amphetamines and ecstasy

Amphetamines and ecstasy are the second most commonly used drugs in Europe. Following increases in the 1990s, ecstasy use appears to be stabilising or even falling, while amphetamine use is stable or rising. 

While cocaine is less commonly used than amphetamines or ecstasy, its use is rising — particularly among socially active groups — and spreading to a broader population. 

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Although nitrite use was initially described among homosexual men who used nitrites in the context of sexual activity, more recently their use has expanded to include heterosexuals. Currently, in addition to being used as sexual enhancers, nitrites are frequently used in combination with amphetamines and ecstasy to accompany high energy dance and music among young... 

A list of drugs of abuse is provided in T able 13.6. Numerically it is dominated by the alkaloids and products of synthesis patterned on alkaloids, like the amphetamines and Ecstasy. Meroterpenes have... 

Lee is 19 and works for a sports equipment firm. From the age of 16 he had used cannabis, LSD, amphetamines and ecstasy, but he claimed that none of this use had been heavy. He would use amphetamine, orally, about once every two weeks, and he liked to have one ecstasy tablet if he went to a nightclub. Ecstasy is the drug he would most want to continue, although he has been made aware of the risks. He has always kept himself fit, and sees recreational drug use as a normal thing for his generation. 

The largest seizures worldwide are for cannabis (herb and then resin), followed by cocaine, the opiates and ATS. All cannabis related seizures amounted to more than 9,700 mt in 2005, including 5,947 mt for cannabis end products (herb, resin and oil). Cocaine seizures amounted to 752 mt, opiate seizures, expressed in heroin equivalents, amounted to 125 mt and ATS seizures (methamphetamine, amphetamine, non-defined amphetamines and ecstasy) amounted to 43 mt. 

About half of the seized ATS precursors could have been used for the production of methamphetamine and a quarter each for the production of amphetamine and ecstasy. 

THE AMPHETAMINES AND ECSTASY The stimulant drug amphetamine dramatically and rapidly induces the release of norepinephrine and dopamine (and serotonin) into the synapse and greatly slows their inactivation by blocking reuptake back into the neuron. The increased and prolonged presence of these neurotransmitters within the synapse produces heightened alertness, euphoria, lowered fatigue, decreased boredom, depressed appetite, and insomnia. Once amphetamine leaves the brain, the rebound symptoms are extreme fatigue and depression. 

The most well-known drugs of abuse are heroin, cocaine, cannabis, LSD, amphetamines, and ecstasy. They all cause different kinds of effects and their toxic effects are also different. The first three of these are derived from or closely aUied to substances found in plants. LSD is similar to substances found in a fungus which affects crops (see pp. 244-7). h is appropriate to consider these substances here as they are drugs in the accepted sense of the word, and some of them have legitimate uses as well as being drugs of abuse. 

Abuse of volatile substances (lighter fuel, aerosols, glue) is often more common amongst schoolchildren than amphetamines and ecstasy, and is increasing in some countries. 

Amphetamine experience is reported by 1 to 7 % of schoolchildren and ecstasy use by 2 to 8 %, while figures for cocaine are between 1 and 4 %. Some UK surveys report higher use of amphetamines and ecstasy. 

The prices of both amphetamines and ecstasy decreased in the latter 1990s, but now appear to be stabilising in some Member States. 

MTA, or 4-methylthioamphetamine, is a synthetic stimulant that is chemically similar to amphetamines and Ecstasy. Studies claim that 4-MTA is about 6 to 33 times stronger than Ecstasy. 

In 2003, the worldwide retail market value of marijuana products was 142 billion, cocaine was 71 billion, opiates (primarily heroin) was 65 billion, and methamphetamine, amphetamine, and ecstasy combined was 44 billion. While the U.N. report does not give a breakdown of expenditures for illegal drugs by country, there are estimates by continent. North America spent 144 billion (retail) or 44 percent of the world s total on illegal drugs. North Americas share of cocaine expenditures was 62 percent opiates, 14 percent marijuana, 55 percent and methamphetamine, amphetamine, and ecstasy, 57 percent. Therefore, more than half of the world s retail expenditures on cocaine, marijuana, and stimulant drugs comes from North America. 

Several standards (MDMA, MDA, MDME, caffeine, ketamine, methamphet-amine, and amphetamine) and ecstasy tablets were analyzed using TLC [23]. We developed a TLC/EASI-MS systan (Figure 16.6) for the rapid aud direct analysis of ecstasy tablets. The TLC results could be validated with EASI/MS, via identification of the spots observed in TLC [23],... 

Drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, cannabinoids, and amphetamines, were detected in hair by immunoassay followed by GC-MS for confirmation and quantitation [118]. Immunochemical screening was done with the Siemens EMIT 11 Plus assays for opiates, amphetamines and ecstasy, and Microgenics CEDIA assays for cocaine. All samples with positive results in the screening test for any drug and/or metabolite were analyzed by GC-MS for confirmation and quantitation. The cutoff value for cocaine was 0.20 ng mg . ... 

D. Djozan, M.A. Farajzadeh, S.M. Sorouraddin and T. Baheri, Determination of metham-phetamine, amphetamine and ecstasy by inside-needle adsorption trap based on molecularly imprinted polymer followed by GC-FID determination, Microchim. Acta, 179 (3-4) 209-217, 2012. 

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