Club drugs and crime
Club drugs refer to a variety of illicit hallucinogenic substances that are commonly used in social settings, particularly nightlife environments such as clubs and raves. These drugs, which include MDMA (ecstasy), ketamine, GHB, and LSD, are known for their ability to enhance social experiences, often engendering feelings of euphoria, emotional connection, and altered perceptions. However, the use of club drugs can also lead to serious risks, including dangerous physical and psychological effects, impaired judgment, and increased susceptibility to accidents and crimes, such as sexual assaults.
The unregulated nature of these substances contributes to inconsistencies in quality and potential contamination, amplifying the risks associated with their consumption. Furthermore, the legal landscape concerning club drugs is complex, as manufacturers often create substances designed to evade regulation, prompting ongoing efforts from law enforcement to address their illegal distribution and use. Despite the prevalence of club drugs, surveys indicate that the majority of young people do not engage in their use, highlighting a nuanced relationship between drug culture and societal norms. Understanding the implications of club drug use encompasses not only health risks but also broader social and legal challenges.
Subject Terms
Club drugs and crime
Definition: Variety of illicit hallucinogenic substances that share the general traits of being used in social situations and exciting or sedating users.
Significance: The use of so-called club drugs is known to be widespread in the United States, even though these unregulated substances may put users in dangerous situations and have been linked to risky sexual behavior and sudden death. Law-enforcement agencies expend significant resources in efforts to reduce the illegal manufacture, sale, and use of such drugs.
The group of substances that can be categorized as club drugs includes those that have historically been known as psychedelic drugs (that is, substances that alter perception and thinking) as well as so-called designer drugs, which are typically made by people who seek to profit from manufacturing drugs or are interested in finding substances that patrons of nightclubs or dance clubs can use legally to enhance their enjoyment. The creators of designer drugs often modify unregulated or illegal chemical substances to make them technically legal and thus suitable for such purposes. After problems emerge in connection with these substances, however, the legal system moves in to identify and classify them and assign legal consequences for their inappropriate use.
Types of Club Drugs and Their Effects
Club drugs comprise a large number of different substances, and new drugs emerge every day as various ingredients are designed or redesigned. One of the most popular club drugs is methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA, which is also known as ecstasy, X, or Adam. MDMA is different from so-called herbal ecstasy (other names include cloud nine, herbal bliss, and herbal X), which is also used as a club drug. MDMA is a derivative of methamphetamine, whereas herbal ecstasy is made from ephedrine or pseudoephedrine and caffeine. Other club drugs include ketamine hydrochloride (known as ketamine or special K), gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB, also known as Georgia home boy or liquid X), and rohypnol (known as roach, roche, or roofies). One long-established substance often used as a club drug is lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), which is also known as acid or blotter.
The effects of these drugs vary from substance to substance. Club drugs generally have no medical uses, although researchers have examined the usefulness of some of them in the treatment of problems such as trauma and antisocial personality disorder. As a group, these substances are known for eliciting positive feelings, such as happiness, euphoria, and a general sense of well-being. Users may also experience feelings of emotional clarity, a decreased sense of personal boundaries, and feelings of empathy with and increased closeness to others. They may also experience pleasant psychedelic effects in the form of other changes in their way of perceiving themselves, others, and their surroundings.
Negative effects of club drugs include physical symptoms such as chills, high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, respiratory distress, sweating, tremors, and impaired motor control. In some cases, convulsions may occur. The drugs can also have negative psychological effects: Users may experience impaired judgment, memory loss, and unpleasant hallucinations. Club drugs can trigger irrational (sometimes violent) behavior, panic, and paranoia. In addition, as a result of using these substances, some individuals may suffer blackouts and drug flashbacks. In users who are compromised by physical or mental health problems, reactions to club drugs may be magnified.
Risks of Use
These substances can be very dangerous when mixed with alcohol, energy drinks, herbal remedies, prescription medications, or other drugs, even over-the-counter drugs. The synergistic effects—that is, effects from drug interactions—may be multiplicative rather than simply additive, so that any of the drugs consumed together with other substances becomes much more pronounced in its effects. Because club drugs are not manufactured by regulated pharmaceuticals laboratories, their quality varies widely. Some may contain contaminants, and some may simply look like the drugs they are purported to be and thus may deliver unknown drug effects.
How and where these substances are used can mitigate or increase the risks involved. In a medical or laboratory setting, or in a private home under observation, relatively few risks may be present. In contrast, in situations involving crowds, heightened emotions, and the company of strangers, the risks of club drugs may be pronounced. At raves, for instance, users of club drugs may not realize they are becoming seriously dehydrated from continual dancing and other physical activity; this is one reason users often end up in emergency rooms.
The proximity of strangers may add to the risks involved in the use of club drugs in part because users may be easy targets for physical or sexual assault or property crimes. In addition, driving under the influence of these substances may result in accidents, criminal charges, or both.
Beyond the short-term risks associated with use, club drugs may also expose users to risks related to substance abuse and dependence. Habitual use of club drugs may result in problems with functioning at work, home, or school, and may bring users into frequent contact with law-enforcement authorities. Some users may find that they repeatedly use club drugs in dangerous situations or that they are in constant conflict with their significant others over their substance use.
Substance-dependence problems related to the use of club drugs may include issues of tolerance, withdrawal, the use of greater quantities or more frequent use than intended, and persistent desire to quit or unsuccessful efforts to quit. Those who become dependent on these substances are likely to spend increasing amounts of time in obtaining and using the drugs and recovering from their effects, giving up other activities to do so. Both the drug abuse and the abandonment of other activities may cause or exacerbate other psychological or physical problems. For some users, club drugs may interact with other states of mind or conditions, such as anxiety or depression, and trigger more lasting problems with anxiety or mood.
Legal Issues
The legal issues related to club drugs may be seen as a microcosm of the legal issues related to substance use in general, from the drugs’ creation to how they are used and their impacts. Manufacturing and distribution issues are relevant in that these drugs are unregulated substances that form the basis for an unregulated economy. Issues of drug identification and classification are also relevant in that the drugs often are designed around the law, challenging the process of identification as well as the issue of enforcement of laws concerning their use and sale. Harmful use related to impaired personal judgment and behavior is also important in terms of the accidents and related crimes it may cause, such as driving under the influence, assault, and property damage. Of additional interest to law-enforcement authorities is the potential for the use of these drugs by individuals wishing to harm others, as in the use of rohypnol and similar substances in sexual crimes.
Bibliography
Holland, Julie. Ecstasy: The Complete Guide—A Comprehensive Look at the Risks and Benefits of MDMA. Rochester, Vt.: Inner Traditions International, 2001. Presents data and arguments pertaining to the typical risks that may be expected from ecstasy and other club drugs. Includes discussion of research perspectives on the potential benefits of these drugs.
Jansen, Karl. Ketamine: Dreams and Realities. Ben Lomond, Calif.: Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, 2004. Provides a historical perspective on the uses of ketamine and addresses the risks and benefits related to the drug.
Julien, Robert M. A Primer of Drug Action: A Comprehensive Guide to the Actions, Uses, and Side Effects of Psychoactive Drugs. 10th ed. New York: Worth, 2005. Reliable text provides full coverage of the topic, including information about how these drugs affect people from youth to old age.
Stafford, Peter. Psychedelics. Oakland, Calif.: Ronin, 2003. Provides broad descriptions of drugs that affect perception, focusing on what these substances may look like and how they may affect users. Also discusses the drugs’ individual and societal impacts.
Weil, Andrew, and Winifred Rosen. From Chocolate to Morphine: Everything You Need to Know About Mind-Altering Drugs. Rev. ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004. Presents a down-to-earth discussion of drugs that affect the mind. Easy to read.