Ecstasy (MDMA) Deaths in New York City: A Case Series and Review of the Literature
Journal of Forensic Sciences – January 01, 2002
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, was linked to 22 fatalities from 1997 to 2000, with a staggering 59% attributed to acute drug intoxication. Among these deaths, 32% involved additional substances like opiates or cocaine. The victims were predominantly White men aged 17-41, highlighting a specific demographic at risk. Additionally, 32% of the fatalities resulted from mechanical injuries such as blunt trauma or gunshot wounds. These findings underscore the urgent need for effective injury prevention and substance abuse strategies in psychiatry and forensic toxicology.
Abstract
Abstract MDMA (“ecstasy”) has gained renewed popularity as a drug of abuse. To access the epidemiology and causes of death of MDMA-positive fatalities, all deaths investigated by the OCME that tested positive for MDMA (22 deaths) between January 1997 and June 2000 were reviewed. There were three deaths in each 1997 and 1998, eleven in 1999, and five in the first part of 2000. Of these 22 deaths, 13 were due to acute drug intoxications, 7 due to mechanical injury (blunt trauma, gunshot wounds), and 2 due to a combination of natural disease and acute drug intoxication. Evidence of recent opiate and/or cocaine use was found in 7 of the acute intoxication deaths and in none of the traumatic or combination natural/intoxication deaths. The race of all decedents was White between the ages of 17–41 years, and 18 of 22 were men.