Ecstasy, Marijuana and Alcohol Use by Undergraduate Students
Authors: Ilg Helena Bossolla , Rebecchi Cassio , Lauar Gabriela Caetano Vilela , Taricano Ingrid Dragan 
Published: June 2021

Ecstasy is the common name for MDMA, a synthetic drug that causes changes in mood and awareness. It has been tentatively classified into a novel pharmacological class termed “entactogens” because it has a characteristic psychoactive profile that distinguishes it from classic hallucinogens and stimulants. Ecstasy is a unique modified amphetamine, with an effect profile that overlaps with those of both stimulants and hallucinogens. People take the drug in combination with other substances frequently including marijuana and alcohol. This study was aimed to investigate the relationship of the use of ecstasy, marijuana with the use of alcohol in undergraduate students from the city of São Paulo, Brazil covering samples from the north, south, east, west and center regions. The study sample comprised 907 undergraduate students. Data on lifetime and recent frequency and intensity of use for alcohol, cannabis and ecstasy was collected.

METHODOLOGY

The instrument used for data collection was Google Forms TM. The instant addition of responses to the data set makes this medium appealing for research purposes. Additionally, the respondents involved in the study has been regularly using Google FormsTM, and it was therefore considered the most appropriate method for data collection. The results of the survey was statistically analyzed. Within the various areas the group of students from medical, biology, nursing, engineering, architecture, psychology, and other undergraduate areas, were chosen because their experience using these tools.

RESULTS

Data obtained showed that in a sample of 907 students, 70 students used ecstasy, of which only 4 don't use marijuana, and also only 4 don't drink alcohol. About frequency, for ecstasy, 44% at least once, 5% weekly, 2,8% twice a week. About marijuana, in ecstasy users, the frequency was once a semester 28,57%; once in life 24,28%; everyday 14,28%; once a week 12.8%; 2 or 3 times a week 11.1% and 4 or 5 times a week 2.8%. Concerned to alcohol, in ecstasy users; 25,7% less than once a week; 24.2% twice a week; 20% once a week; 11% 3 times a week; 10% 4 times a week and 2,85% everyday.

CONCLUSIONS

Suddenly, silently, ecstasy is back. These findings are alarming for two further reasons: first, because ecstasy usage had previously been falling since its mid‐2000s peak; and second, are present inside university group students if consider that recent researches hypothesized that the long‐term effects of recreational ecstasy might include sleep disturbances, and changes in cognitive processing in general, and learning and memory, in particular. This work was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration. CAAE(Br)67881517.1.0000.5511. All participants had full understanding and signed informed consent document

This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.