While down sharply from last year’s high – no pun intended! – of 58%, MDMA remains Ireland’s party drug of choice with 39.7% of respondents to the Global Drug Survey here saying they’ve used it in either pill or powder form over the past 12 months.
People are paying an average €7.10 for a pill, and using two per session.
The mean price for a gram of MDMA powder is €46.50, with 9.9 the average number of doses they’re deriving from it.
64% of Irish females and 53.1% of males aged 25 or under start by taking just ½ or a ¼ of a pill. Over 25s are even more cautious with 70.3% of females and 62.7% of males waiting to see how strong the ecstasy they’ve taken is. There is, however, a caveat.
“Users wait an average of just over an hour before taking their next dose of MDMA,” warn the GDS people. “This is not long enough. You reduce your risk of becoming unwell through ending up with too much MDMA in your system at once by waiting at least two hours – three is even better.”
The data suggests, though, that MDMA is a relatively safe drug, with only 1.3% seeking emergency medical treatment following its use. Female users report a wider range of more distressing experiences.
That said, we’re top of the MDMA Users Who Want To Reduce Their Use league table with 39.3%. In comparison, only 23.5% of UK users are looking to cut down.
We’re also top of the Average Number Of Days Of MDMA Use table, with 14.8 days compared to 11.8 on the other side of the Irish Sea.
The main setting for MDMA use at 34.5% is clubs, with 27.3% using it at outdoor festivals/raves; 14.4% at indoor events/house parties; 12% at dinner parties/small group of friends; 5.9% with a lover/partner, 2.5 in a bar/pub and 2.2% on their own.