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Session 2: ATS: What are they, who uses them and what is the global situation?

Preventing -type- (ATS) Use among Young People A UNODC Global Youth Network Training Workshop Amphetamine-type- (ATS)

• ATS are that belong to the stimulant class of drugs and as such, they excite or speed up the central • This workshop will focus on three main ATS drugs: MDMA or ecstasy, amphetamine or , and What is meth/amphetamine?

• Amphetamine developed in the 1920s to treat depression and obesity • Methamphetamine has a chemical structure similar to amphetamine but has more powerful effects on the CNS • Methamphetamine is also known as speed, crystal, meth, ice or crank What is meth/amphetamine?

• Methamphetamine can be easily dissolved and injected • Crystal methamphetamine is a usually clear crystal of high purity that can be smoked like crack • Methamphetamine can also be sold in capsules or tablets Meth/amphetamine Meth/amphetamine manufacture Crystalline methamphetamine crystalline methamphetamine What is ecstasy?

• Ecstasy is a street name for methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) • Usually classified as a with stimulant effects What is ecstasy?

• Usually comes as a pill in a range of colours which have a design on one side, such as a dove or diamond • It can also come as a powder, which is snorted or, less commonly, dissolved and injected Ecstasy What is methylphenidate?

• Methylphenidate is a , stimulating CNS activity • For persons with ADHD, for whom it is prescribed it has a reverse effect – reducing hyperactivity, impulsiveness and inattentiveness What is methylphenidate?

• It has a high margin of safety, and the therapeutic dose is much lower than amounts used non-medically • Those who use for non-medical purposes may snort or inject the ground/dissolved tablets Who uses ATS and why?

• Patterns of use shift over time and between regions, so it is difficult to identify patterns that are common to all regions or subpopulations • Different people use different drugs for different reasons, therefore it is important to consider a range of different user groups and patterns of use Populations at particular risk

• Vulnerable youth (e.g. working children, refugees, homeless and institutionalized youth) • Indigenous young people • Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender young people Patterns of methamphetamine use

• To self-medicate mental health problems • As part of the dance and party scene • To enhance sexual activity • To suppress • As part of a multiple use pattern • As part of a ‘binge and crash’ pattern of use Patterns of ecstasy use

• As part of the dance and party scene • Increasingly being identified in a range of other contexts • As part of a multiple drug use pattern • As part of a ‘binge and crash’ pattern of use Patterns of methylphenidate use

• Diversion from medical to non-medical use • Use for their psychoactive effects, i.e. to get high, stay awake, to lose weight, or mix with other drugs ATS: The global situation

• , and are the most commonly used substances by youth around the world with rates of use for these substances considerably higher than for ATS • ATS are the next most commonly used illicit substances after cannabis among high school students in all regions, with the exception of South East Asia where ATS use may exceed cannabis Trends in methamphetamine use

• In Japan, the Republic of Korea and the Philippines, use of ATS is 5-7 times that of or cocaine • Although methamphetamine use is believed to have declined recently, a study has shown that 29% of vocational students had ever used Trends in ecstasy use

• Rates of ecstasy use have declined in North America with less than 4% of high school students reporting past year use • 7.2% of Australians aged 12-24 years have used ecstasy in the past year • Other regions do not have reliable usage rates, however ecstasy appears to be growing in popularity THANK YOU