Recruiting a sample of regular ecstasy users (REU) in Australia's remote Top End: price, population and seasonal variability

The 2011 NT Trends in Ecstasy and Related Drug Markets report represents the eighth year in which data has been collected in the Northern Territory (NT) on the markets for ecstasy and related drugs (ERD). The Ecstasy and related Drugs Reporting System (EDRS; formerly the Party Drugs Initiative, or PDI) is the most comprehensive and detailed study of ERD markets in the country. Using a similar methodology to the Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS), the EDRS monitors the price, purity and availability of ‘ecstasy’ (MDMA) and other related drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, gamma-hydroxy-butyrate (GHB), and ketamine. It also examines trends in the use and harms of these drugs. It utilises data from three sources: (a) surveys with regular ecstasy users (REU); (b) surveys with key experts (KE) who have contact with REU through the nature of their work; and (c) the analysis of existing data sources that contain information on ecstasy and other drugs. REU are recruited because they are considered a sentinel group to detect illicit drug trends. The information from REU is therefore not representative of ecstasy and other drug users in the general population, but is indicative of emerging trends that may warrant further monitoring.