New psychoactive substance use among regular psychostimulant users in Australia, 2010–2015

Sutherland, Rachel; Peacock, Amy; Whittaker, Elizabeth; Roxburgh, Amanda; Lenton, Simon; Matthews, Allison; Butler, Kerryn; Nelson, Morton; Burns, Lucy; Bruno, Raimondo

doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.01.024

Cited by 44 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 30 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A previous study of self-reported NPS use in a US nationally representative sample found that 79.4% of NPS users reported lifetime ecstasy/3,4-methylenedioxymetham-phetamine (MDMA) use and 73.7% reported LSD use, with even higher prevalence among those reporting use of tryptamines or psychedelic phenethylamines (18). A recent European study found that ecstasy users were more likely to report use of phenethylamines and that LSD users were more likely to report use of phenethylamines and tryptamines (38), and an online survey of mephedrone users found that 87% had used ecstasy and 11% typically co-used mephedrone with ecstasy (39). While drugs such as “bath salts” may have similar effects to drugs such as ecstasy, ecstasy is also commonly adulterated with such NPSs (40–42).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-reported use of novel psychoactive substances among attendees of electronic dance music venues

Palamar

Acosta

Sherman

et al. 2016

The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Novel psychoactive substances (NPSs) continue to emerge in the United States and worldwide. Few epidemiological studies have examined the prevalence and correlates of use. Objective We examined the extent of NPS use in a high-risk population—attendees of electronic dance music (EDM) parties at nightclubs and festivals. Methods We surveyed 682 adults (age 18–25) entering EDM events at nightclubs and festivals in New York City (NYC) in 2015. A variation of time–space sampling was used. We examined the prevalence of self-reported use of 196 NPS and correlates of any NPS use. Results Over a third (35.1%) of participants reported lifetime use of any NPS. Self-reported use of synthetic cannabinoids was most prevalent (16.3%), followed by psychedelic phenethylamines (14.7%; 2C series: 10.3%, 2-(4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-[(2-methoxyphenyl)methyl]ethanamine [NBOMe] series: 9.0%, Dox series: 3.5%), synthetic cathinones (“bath salts”, 6.9%), other psychedelics (6.6%), tryptamines (5.1%), and dissociatives (4.3%). 2C-I was the most prevalent 2C series drug (5.1%); methylone was the most prevalent synthetic cathinone (3.3%), 2-MeO-ketamine was the most prevalent dissociative (3.7%), and 1P-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) (2.9%) was the most prevalent non-phenethylamine psychedelic. Risk factors for NPS use included Ecstasy/MDMA/ Molly, LSD, and ketamine use; identifying as bisexual (compared to heterosexual), reporting higher frequency of nightclub/festival attendance, and being surveyed outside of a festival (compared to those surveyed outside of nightclubs). Discussion NPS use is prevalent in the nightclub and festival scenes in NYC. Since individuals in these scenes—especially frequent attendees—are at high risk for use, prevention and harm reduction services need to be geared toward this population.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-reported use of novel psychoactive substances among attendees of electronic dance music venues

Palamar

Acosta

Sherman

et al. 2016

The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The decrease of SCRA-related posts echoes the decrease of SCRA consumption observed over the past few years in the countries from where most of the Web forums users are geolocated (U.S. (Johnston, Miech, O'Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2015), U.K (U.K Home Office, 2016), Australia (Sutherland, et al, 2016)). Our longitudinal analysis demonstrates that positive effect (i.e., “High” and “Euphoria”) proportions continuously decreased since 2008.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Increases in synthetic cannabinoids-related harms: Results from a longitudinal web-based content analysis

Lamy

Daniulaityte

Nahhas

et al. 2017

International Journal of Drug Policy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists (SCRA), also known as “K2” or “Spice,” have drawn considerable attention due to their potential of abuse and harmful consequences. More research is needed to understand user experiences of SCRA-related effects. We use semiautomated information processing techniques through eDrugTrends platform to examine SCRA-related effects and their variations through a longitudinal content analysis of web-forum data. Method English language posts from three drug-focused web-forums were extracted and analyzed between January 1st 2008 and September 30th 2015. Search terms are based on the Drug Abuse Ontology (DAO) created for this study (189 SCRA-related and 501 effect-related terms). EDrugTrends NLP-based text processing tools were used to extract posts mentioning SCRA and their effects. Generalized linear regression was used to fit restricted cubic spline functions of time to test whether the proportion of drug-related posts that mention SCRA (and no other drug) and the proportion of these “SCRA-only” posts that mention SCRA effects have changed over time, with an adjustment for multiple testing. Results 19,052 SCRA-related posts (Bluelight (n=2,782), Forum A (n=3,882), and Forum B (n=12,388)) posted by 2,543 international users were extracted. The most frequently mentioned effects were “getting high” (44.0%), “hallucinations” (10.8%), and “anxiety” (10.2%). The frequency of SCRA-only posts declined steadily over the study period. The proportions of SCRA-only posts mentioning positive effects (e.g., “High” and “Euphoria”) steadily decreased, while the proportions of SCRA-only posts mentioning negative effects (e.g., “Anxiety,” “Nausea,” “Overdose”) increased over the same period. Conclusion This study's findings indicate that the proportion of negative effects mentioned in web forum posts and linked to SCRA has increased over time, suggesting that recent generations of SCRA generate more harms. This is also one of the first studies to conduct automated content analysis of web forum data related to illicit drug use.

show abstract

“…Australian and state legislation has since been modified, banning the importation and sale of synthetic cannabinoids and other new psychoactive substances, although there are indications that the use of NPS continues in some parts of the community (Sutherland et al . ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Synthetic cannabinoid use in an acute psychiatric inpatient unit

Clancy

Hodgson

Kendurkar

et al. 2017

Int J Mental Health Nurs

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the present study, we explored the prevalence of new psychoactive substance use by people admitted into an Australian acute public mental health facility specializing in comorbid mental health and substance use. These substances have since been banned from retail outlets, but the pattern of uptake and reasons people use them is informative in terms of motivations and the management of substance use more generally. A cross-sectional study to explore the use of synthetic cannabis by people admitted to an acute adult mental health unit was undertaken. Associations with diagnostic, service use, and demographic profiles were explored. Fifty-six percent of people reported having used at least one type of new psychoactive substance, including 53.5% who reported using synthetic cannabis alone, and 18.8% who reported using both synthetic cannabis and other new psychoactive substances. Synthetic cannabis use was not associated with any demographic or diagnostic groups. Legality and availability (43% combined) were common reasons for use, along with the feeling of intoxication (20%). The high prevalence of new psychoactive substance use adds weight to the recommendation that clinicians should routinely screen for substances from the time of admission. Accurate information about these substances is required in order to provide accurate guidance and appropriate interventions to people in their care.

show abstract

New psychoactive substance use among regular psychostimulant users in Australia, 2010–2015

Abstract: NPS use has been established as a significant and ongoing practice amongst our sample of RPU. It appears that RPU seek out NPS with similar properties to the illicit drugs that they are already consuming, with poly NPS consumers found to be a particularly high risk group.

Cited by 44 publications

References 30 publications

Self-reported use of novel psychoactive substances among attendees of electronic dance music venues

Self-reported use of novel psychoactive substances among attendees of electronic dance music venues

Increases in synthetic cannabinoids-related harms: Results from a longitudinal web-based content analysis

Synthetic cannabinoid use in an acute psychiatric inpatient unit

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About