According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2016 is proving to be an ecstasy renaissance, and not in a good way. As detailed in their annual report, 2016 is the first year to record increased ecstasy-use since the mid-2000’s, and the purity of today’s MDMA is the highest it’s ever been.
Now, those figures might seem like fun and games until you take into account the alarming increase of health risks due to MDMA’s increased purity, use, and the lack of proper education surrounding the drug.
Approximately 2.1 million Europeans between the ages of 15 to 34 have admitted to using MDMA within this last year; an increase of 300,000 from the previous year and nine out of 12 countries reporting an overall increase in ecstasy use. The UK weighs in as the number two consumer, with 3.5% of its population having used MDMA, while the Netherlands maintains its position as Europe’s number one consumer of MDMA, with 5.5% of its population admitting to using the drug. 
With this new data, it’s no surprise that IMS’ business report claimed a renewed approach to drug harm reduction as the second most important factor in electronic dance music’s continued success. That’s not to say dance music is the sole reason for ecstasy use, but it would be foolish to deny the association between the two.
