Is online information on ecstasy tablet content safe?

Area of Science:

• Forensic Chemistry
• Public Health
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Increasing prevalence of ecstasy use across Europe.
• Internet accessibility of information on ecstasy tablet composition.
• Need to evaluate the accuracy and safety of online drug information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the accuracy of online ecstasy tablet information from Pillreports and Partyflock with the Dutch Drugs Information and Monitoring System (DIMS) database.
• To assess the potential dangers and value of online drug information sources.
• To identify characteristics of online reports associated with their safety or danger.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 471 drug-related statements on ecstasy tablets from Pillreports.net and Partyflock.nl (2014-2015).
• Comparison of reported ecstasy tablet concentrations against the DIMS database.
• Scoring of reports for accuracy (deviation >10 mg), dangerous underestimation (>40 mg), unreported substances, and inclusion of pictures or dose ranges.

Main Results:

• Online reports averaged 10.6 mg higher in 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) concentration than DIMS data.
• 39.7% of reports were scored as 'too high', 17.6% as 'too low', and 15.5% contained 'unreported substances'.
• Overall, 15.3% of reports were classified as 'dangerous', with report inclusion of dose spread inversely associated with danger.

Conclusions:

• Information on popular websites like Pillreports and Partyflock frequently overestimates MDMA concentrations in ecstasy tablets.
• A substantial proportion of online reports are unreliable, omitting critical details on concentration, dangerous substances, or accurate dosing.
• The findings highlight significant risks associated with relying on unverified online information for drug safety.