Research Proves That New Harm Reduction Program Increases Young Adult Awareness About the Risks of Recreational Drugs
The GPF Foundation was founded in 2018 to save lives by supporting education, appropriate treatment and overall awareness of the dangers related to recreational drug use.
Young Adults Participating in Educational Effort Much More Knowledgeable About the Risks Associated with Using MDMA (molly/ecstasy).
In 2020, approximately 2.6 million people in the United States indicated using MDMA in the previous 12 months. One study showed that 41.2% of users tested positive for other stimulants and 50% did not test positive for MDMA. Other studies have shown that withholding information from young adults can be ineffective and counterproductive. In addition to the euphoric effects of MDMA, individuals often report adverse reactions and unintended consequences.
Steven Miller, PhD., an associate professor of Psychology at Rosalind Franklin University for Medicine & Science (RFUMS), said that the 56 participants in the study were students who were surveyed four separate times to ascertain their level of awareness and understanding on MDMA and the associated risks.
“What we found through the study is that educational group sessions can significantly increase a student’s knowledge of MDMA in a lasting manner,” said Dagmara Zajac, Doctor of Pharmacy Student and co-author of the study. Zajac, a Fellow at the GPF Foundation, said the educational program covers topics that include adulterations common to MDMA, side effects both short and long term, what to do if an individual chooses to consume MDMA and how to care for others who choose to use MDMA.
Based on the study results “what we see is lasting changes in people’s knowledge about MDMA over several weeks,” Miller said. “If they don’t have the knowledge, they can’t adequately assess risk in any meaningful way. By giving people some real knowledge about what’s going on they are more able to realistically evaluate what they might experience or face.”
GPF Foundation has created a video that provides more detail on the effectiveness of its educational program. View at Tinyurl.com/MDMA-Education. Last month Zajac presented results from the study at the annual convention of the Association for Psychological Science. Another presentation was also made to the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (Great Lakes Chapter)
About The GPF Foundation
The GPF Foundation was founded in 2018 to save lives by supporting education, appropriate treatment and overall awareness of the dangers related to recreational drug use. In pursuit of this mission, GPFF focuses its work in two interrelated areas: 1) Educational Initiatives to mitigate the dangers of playing a modern day version of “Russian Roulette" with street drugs, including peer-to-peer outreach on the risks of MDMA (ecstasy or molly) and the risk of recreational drugs, particularly adulteration with other substances, and effective harm reduction strategies; and 2) Medical Initiatives that include development and dissemination of innovative clinical training tools for front line medical providers that address a critical “blind spot” in the accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of those experiencing adverse effects of psychostimulant use. Learn more at GPFFoundation.org.
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Research Study Authors Talk About the Effectiveness of a Harm Reduction Program from the GPF Foundation.
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