Prevalence of Ecstasy (MDMA) Use In Ireland

"Almost 11% of young adults surveyed in 2010/11 claimed to have tried ecstasy at least once in their lifetime (Table 2.2.4). More young men (15%) reported using ecstasy in their lifetime than young women (6%) as presented in Standard Table 1. The proportion of young adults who used ecstasy in the last year decreased significantly, from 2.4% in 2006/7 to 0.9% in 2010/11. The decrease in ecstasy use may be partly explained by the proportion (6.7%) of young people reporting use of new psychoactive substances sold in head shops and on line ((National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Public Health Information and Research Branch 2011): Table 1.3).
"As already noted in Section 2.1, the increase in the proportions using any illegal drug at some point in their lives between 2006/7 and 2011/12 was influenced by the fact that drug use in Ireland is a recent phenomenon and the population of lifetime and recent drug users is relatively young. Drug use is measured among adults aged 15–64, and those leaving this age group over the next five years are less likely to have been exposed to drug use than those entering the measurement cohort. The relative stability in last-year use of cannabis and cocaine indicates that the situation with respect to these drugs has stabilised."