Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Pathways between ecstasy initiation and other drug use.

Silvia S Martins1, Lilian A Ghandour, Howard D Chilcoat

  • 1Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, 8th floor, Baltimore, MD 21205-1900, USA. smartins@jhsph.edu

Addictive Behaviors
|December 19, 2006
PubMed
Summary

This study reveals that marijuana, cocaine, and heroin predict later ecstasy use. Early ecstasy use also predicts initiation of other illegal drugs, particularly cocaine and heroin.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The impact of cash and near-cash social policies on substance use outcomes: a scoping review.

Health affairs scholar·2026
Same author

An Epidemic of Complexity: Polysubstance Use Fatal Overdose Typologies Across Cook County, Illinois, Neighborhoods, 2017‒2022.

American journal of public health·2026
Same author

A Systematic Review of International Guidelines for Addressing Alcohol Use Disorder in Pregnancy.

Alcohol, clinical & experimental research·2026
Same author

Methamphetamine Co-Use Among Pregnant Individuals Using Opioids in the United States, 2011-2023.

Obstetrics and gynecology·2026
Same author

Causal effect estimates of online e-cigarette marketing exposure on future e-cigarette harm perception and use.

Drug and alcohol dependence reports·2026
Same author

Association between state cannabis laws and opioid outcomes: A systematic review.

Drug and alcohol dependence·2026

Area of Science:

  • Addiction research
  • Adolescent substance use
  • Public health

Background:

  • Understanding drug use pathways is crucial for prevention.
  • Ecstasy (MDMA) initiation is a growing concern among adolescents.
  • Limited research exists on the sequential initiation patterns involving ecstasy and other illicit substances.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the drug use initiation pathways associated with ecstasy use.
  • To determine if initiation of other drugs predicts ecstasy use, and vice versa.
  • To examine the directionality and strength of these associations.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from 54,573 adolescents (aged 12-21) from the 2002-2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).
  • Utilized Cox proportional hazards models with time-dependent covariates to assess predictors of drug initiation.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Examined sequential initiation pathways between ecstasy, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin.

    • Main Results:

    • Marijuana, cocaine, and heroin were significant independent predictors of subsequent ecstasy use.
    • Earlier ecstasy initiation predicted subsequent initiation of marijuana, cocaine, and heroin.
    • The association was stronger for marijuana predicting ecstasy use than vice versa.
    • Ecstasy initiation pathways to cocaine and heroin were stronger than the reverse pathways.
    • These pathways appeared independent of psychiatric symptoms or deviant behaviors.

    Conclusions:

    • Ecstasy initiation plays a significant role in the subsequent initiation of other illicit drugs, notably cocaine and heroin.
    • The findings highlight a bidirectional but asymmetric relationship between ecstasy and other drug use initiation.
    • Interventions targeting early ecstasy use may help prevent initiation of more dangerous substances like cocaine and heroin.