Ecstasy Use Statistics​

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• Past year ecstasy use in the general Australian adult population has declined from 3.5% in 2007 to 2.2% in 2016. Levels of use in Tasmania in 2016 are comparable with rates nationally

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• Among the 2018 EDRS population, ecstasy was typically used fortnightly, although one in five used weekly or more often.

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• Tablets/pills were the most commonly used form, however, 3 in 5 participants had used ecstasy in capsule form, and half reported using the high potency crystal form MDMA. Tablet use was more frequent (approximately fortnightly) than use of other forms (typically less than monthly among consumers of these forms).

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• Participants typically used two tablets when they used ecstasy. There are growing indications of increased high-quantity use, with 4% of participants in 2015 and 26% in 2017 reporting usually using more than two pills in a session

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• Participants were given a screening tool to assess for symptoms of dependence. On this instrument, more than half reported no symptoms of dependence. However, 16% of participants screened positive for possible ecstasy use disorder. This is a lower rate than seen in recent surveys (one third or more in 2015 and 2016), though is consistent with 10% in 2017

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• In 2018, no IDRS users reported ecstasy to be their drug of choice, which is consistent with trends over the past five years

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• 10% reported using ecstasy over the last 6 months