Dramatic increases in the availability and use of club drugs, especially MDMA and GHB, and the array of hallucinogens and other illegal drugs available at raves and dance clubs indicate that the full impact of the rave culture has not yet been felt. Between 1998 and 1999 reported lifetime, past year, and current use of the increasingly popular club drug MDMA rose substantially among twelfth graders, and past year use increased among tenth graders, according to 1999 Monitoring the Future Study data. Responses from over 50 percent of respondents indicate that the rave culture has expanded well beyond large metropolitan areas into smaller cities, towns, and rural areas across the nation. In addition to providing an outlet for the distribution of a variety of club drugs, the rave culture provides trafficking organizations and independent profiteers with an opportunity to introduce a variety of drugs to a new group of users. While international drug trafficking organizations are meeting the demand for all drug types, they are taking steps to make drugs more acceptable, easier to administer and, in general, more appealing to new groups of users.
Young people appear to be the primary targets of their efforts.
Higher purity heroin that can be snorted or smoked is increasingly available and less expensive than ever before, making it more attractive to new and younger users. While instances are limited, heroin is beginning to appear more frequently at raves and dance clubs. To Top To Contents Cocaine . Mexican and Colombian drug trafficking organizations continue to dominate wholesale distribution of cocaine. However, Dominican organizations have secured Mexican sources of cocaine in the Southwest and continue to expand their involvement and influence in cocaine trafficking.