Ecstasy Is Out, But Cocaine On Rise

TORONTO -- Messages about the agony of ecstasy may be getting through to young partiers. There appears to be a swing away from the use of club drugs such as ecstasy, GHB, LSD and ketamine, according to a new U.S. study.

A similar study in Canada finds kids may be substituting cocaine.

Emergency room visits related to the drugs GHB, ketamine, LSD and ecstasy all remained stable or declined in 2002, reports the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. For GHB, emergency room visits declined by one-third between 2000 and 2002; for ecstasy, ER visits remained at 2001 levels; for LSD, ER visits sharply declined between 1999 and 2002; for ketamine, emergency room visits have remained low since 1998.

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