Prevalence rates of the number of MDMA users, obtained from general population surveys, are multiplied by 2021 Eurostat population data of the age group. While the number of tablets used per session has not changed substantially from literature findings dating from several decades ago, today’s MDMA users generally ingest higher quantities of the psychoactive substance than before (Gremeaux, 2022). Graphics showing the most recent data for a country are based on studies carried out between 2013 and 2023. Prevalence data presented here are based continue reading this.. on general population surveys submitted to the EMCDDA by national focal points. You can access data by country by clicking on the map or selecting a country from the dropdown menu.
MDMA rarely cited as a reason for entering drug treatment in Europe
The 225 vendors operating from the Netherlands generated $1.1 million in drug revenues per month and ranked fifth, after the US, UK, Australia, and Germany. The Netherlands is the main producer of MDMA, ecstasy, and herbal cannabis and a key distribution hub for cannabis continue reading this.. resin and cocaine in Europe. The Netherlands seems to be an anomaly when it comes to domestic drug sales. With American buyers able to source cannabis, for example, from Colorado and Washington, where the drug has been legalized, why risk purchase from abroad? It was difficult to estimate the share of drug shipping routes precisely, as incomplete or unknown routes account for more than one-third of all drug revenues. While it is difficult to derive information about buyer locations, sellers usually indicate the countries or continents they are willing to ship their products to.
Reporting countries
More than three quarters of EWSD respondents (77 %) reported meeting their dealer outside as the usual method for receiving drugs, followed by home delivery (17 %). Together, these two data sources suggests that the large majority of MDMA users buy the drug themselves, and that a smaller proportion obtains it for free, despite marked differences among EU countries. Web-based surveys, such as the EWSD, can provide a helpful insight, although the results cannot be generalised to the population as a whole, or indeed to all people who use drugs. Students learn the facts about cocaine, MDMA/ecstasy, methamphetamine ("Ice"), and new psychoactive substance
A study conducted by 10 drug-checking organisations from the TEDI network found that the increase in MDMA content in tablets in this time period was directly related to an increase in the average weight of ecstasy tablets (Vrolijk et al., 2022). The average content of MDMA in ecstasy tablets appears to be on a slight downward trend from 2019, after close to a decade of increasingly stronger (and larger) tablets becoming available on the market. On occasion, neurotoxic compounds such as PMMA (5) are detected mixed with, or as a replacement for, MDMA in ecstasy tablets. From 2019 onwards a new cycle appears to have begun, whereby the number of ecstasy tablets containing other substances alongside, or instead of, MDMA has increased (as expressed by a drop in percentage in the indexed trends shown above from 96 % in 2019 to 73 % in 2022). Crystal MDMA was marketed as a purer product compared to ecstasy tablets, an assertion that was and remains largely true (see Section The trend of large tablets containing more MDMA may be reversing). One way to observe these cycles is to monitor rates of adulteration, as expressed by the percentage of tested samples of seized ecstasy tablets that contain MDMA and no other
continue reading this.. scheduled substances.
Wastewater-based methods
For the six countries that reported data for 2022, prices for tablets varied from EUR 733 to EUR 7 228. Tablets containing more than 150 milligrams of MDMA are considered high-strength ecstasy tablets, given the dose of MDMA required to elicit subjective effects in adults (a). On occasion, exceptionally high-strength ecstasy tablets were reported, reaching upwards of 250 milligrams of MDMA per tablet, which made up 1 % of all tablets tested in 2023 (3 % in the same period in 2022). In 2023, 39 % of the MDMA tablets tested by drug checking organisations submitting data to the TEDI network contained between 100 and 149.0 milligrams of MDMA (35 % in the same period in 2022), and 26 % contained between 150 and 199.9 milligrams (29 % in 2022).
Increased ener
Some of the price disparity may be attributed to local factors, including distance to the producing centres (Netherlands and Belgium), but statistical artefacts (e.g. small sample sizes) may also be a factor. Individual factors and sex affect this dose, with women considered to be more susceptible to the 5-HT-releasing effects of MDMA (Liechti et al., 2001). Harm reduction responses, including the provision of drug-checking services and appropriate risk-communication strategies, are crucial to minimise these risks. This is consistent with law enforcement information that suggests the MDMA market in Europe is supplied by the same pool of producers, mostly based in the Netherlands and Belgium. It should be noted that this trend was observed across several countries in Europ
