STUDY: Ravers Still Using Drugs Recreationally During Online Events

NelsonG · August 30, 2020

Virtual raves are all the rage right now — and although we’ve traded venues for living rooms, ravers are reportedly still using drugs in socially distanced settings.

A recent study examined recreational drug use during virtual events and online happy hours. To explore this new phenomenon, online surveys were issued in April and May 2020 via researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV Research at NYU School of Global Public Health.

We explored whether stay-at-home orders changed how people use drugs—and it appears that drug use during virtual gatherings is somewhat prevalent among the party-going population we studied – Joseph Palamar, PhD, MPH

According to NYU, “55.5 percent of those surveyed attended virtual raves and 69.5 percent attended virtual happy hours during COVID-19 social distancing. Of those who participated in these virtual events, more than a third reported using illegal drugs during them, including 40.8 percent of virtual rave attendees and 33.7 percent of virtual happy hour attendees.”

Alcohol was used by the majority of participants (70 percent) followed by marijuana (30 percent). Other drugs included ecstasy, also known as MDMA and Molly (8.5 percent), LSD (7 percent), and cocaine (4.2 percent). Virtual happy hour attendees used cocaine (3.4 percent) and ketamine (3.4 percent).