Containing ecstasy: Analytical tools for profiling an illegal drug market - NDLERF Report

Abstract

Analytical tools for illegal market profiling • There is no one analytical tool to profile illegal drug markets; rather, a combination of methods are appropriate for different drug markets and different market participants. • For the ecstasy market, data indicative of organisational activity, such as arrests, and health outcomes such as deaths, hospitalizations and occasions of specialist treatment, provide only limited market intelligence, as the majority of ecstasy consumers and suppliers do not come into contact with police or health agencies. • A market cannot be understood by focusing solely on supply-side activities; the attitudes and behaviours of consumers and regulators also determine market mechanisms and outcomes. • In Australia, changing consumer patterns of ecstasy use are one of the most accessible sources of intelligence about the state of the market. • Population surveys set the baseline for the prevalence of ecstasy use and the characteristics of ecstasy consumers. • Surveys of special populations provide richer detail of consumer attitudes, knowledge and market behaviors. Such open source intelligence also provides early warning systems for change in the market. • Profiling the supply chain for ecstasy and the behavior of suppliers are inherently diffi cult because of the hidden, illegal nature of their market activities