October 10, 2001
MDMA Backgrounder:
CAMH Survey Findings
For the first time, the CAMH Monitor estimated the use of Ecstasy (MDMA)
in the adult population in Ontario. The 2000 CAMH Monitor surveyed 2,406
adults aged 18 and older by telephone. The full report, CAMH
Monitor eReport: Addiction and Mental Health Indicators Among Ontario
Adults, 1977-2000 (CAMH Research Document Series No. 10), is available
on the CAMH website at www.camh.net/research/pdfs/cm2000-epirpt.pdf
The 2000 CAMH Monitor found the following:
Overall, 2.7% reported ecstasy use during their lifetime and 1.8% reported
use during the 12 months before the survey. These percentages represent
about 219,100 and 146,000 Ontario adults, respectively.
The highest rates of use were found among 18 to 29 years, who reported
9.4% lifetime use and 7.3% past year use.
Use was higher among men than women (4.0% vs 1.4% for lifetime use and
2.6% vs 1.0% for past year use).
Ecstasy use did not vary significantly by region, education or income.
Some characteristics of lifetime ecstasy users:
-- 87% were aged 18-29 years
-- 73% were male
-- 57% were employed full-time
-- 62% consumed five or more drinks on a single occasion monthly
-- 80% used cannabis during the past year
-- 66% used cocaine in lifetime.
Other Related CAMH Survey Material
The 1998 Canadian Campus Survey
found that 4.2% of university undergraduates reported use of ecstasy in
their lifetime; 2.4% reported use during the year before the survey and
1.2% reported use during the academic session.
The most recent Ontario Student
Drug Use Survey (OSDUS), conducted in 1999, found an increasing trend
in ecstasy use. Between 1991 and 1999, the past year use of ecstasy use
increased from under 1% to 4.8%. Rates of past year use were highest among
11th-graders (9.8%).
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