Annals of epidemiology
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Annals of epidemiology · Jan 2007
Ecstasy and gateway drugs: initiating the use of ecstasy and other drugs.
The main purposes of this study are to examine whether and to what extent ecstasy use serves as a gateway to the use of such hard drugs as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine and compare ages of onset of alcohol and marijuana use and subsequent use of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine among young adult ecstasy users. ⋯ The sequential progression of drug use proposed in the gateway literature is not immutable. Researchers must take into account the changing popularity of drugs over time, such as the emergence of ecstasy use, when identifying patterns of drug-use onset.