Xtc pills in the fictitious store in UtrechtXtc should only be sold under strict conditions, should the government legalize its sale. That’s what the participants of a pilot study in a fictitious xtc store in Utrecht think. "No one thinks that the sale of xtc should be without strict conditions. Not even the participants who themselves sometimes use xtc." The pilot is an initiative of Poppi Drug Museum and Utrecht University, and the report (in Dutch) with the results was released today.
During the summer of 2019, some 1,600 people visited the Utrecht xtc store. Not to buy xtc, but to participate in a study on the sale of the party drug. Suppose the government legalizes the sale of xtc, or rather, the sale of mdma, for which xtc is the street name, under what conditions do citizens and experts find this acceptable? In the xtc store, visitors were able to experience what it is like to buy drugs in a pharmacy, smartshop and entertainment venue. Based on this experience, they could then indicate what seemed the most acceptable way to them. In addition, historian Stephen Snelders and criminologist Damian Zaitch , who are involved in the research from Utrecht University, organized focus groups with experts, including experts from the prevention and addiction fields.
The point is that it should not be fun to go shopping for xtc. Neither should it be possible to coincidently buy some pills, while you go out shopping for other stuff.
Stephen Snelders, historian
Striking result
What struck Snelders most after analyzing the data, was that virtually no one thinks that the sale of xtc should be without strict conditions, if the government legalizes it. "That’s extraordinary when you consider that a significant portion of the visitors are mostly young people who themselves sometimes use xtc," Snelders says. "Nobody said that xtc is necessarily good for people and society. Everyone believes that there should be measures that regulate the sale of xtc." Examples of regulation include an age limit for sales, a maximum dose of mdma, a maximum number of pills that can be sold, and a ban on marketing and advertising. As for location, the majority believe that xtc should be sold by a pharmacy or store. Although the sales of xtc at entertainment venues was also acceptable to more than half of the visitors.
Unappealing store
Experts in the focus groups were more conservative than store visitors. Should the government legalize the sale of xtc, buying xtc should above all not be too fun and easy, they believe. "The experts think that xtc should be sold by a specialized outlet that is halfway between a store and a pharmacy," Snelders says. "For example, an unappealing store in a suburb, where you are mandatorily given a stack of information leaflets after buying pills. The point is that it should not be fun to go shopping for xtc. Neither should it be possible to coincidently buy some pills, while you go out shopping for other stuff." As far as the experts are concerned, selling at entertainment venues is not desirable. Snelders: "They feel that impulse buying, i.e. buying something and immediately taking it, should be prevented at all times."
Interesting insights
The group of participants is not representative of the Dutch population, so the pilot does not give a conclusive picture of what the average Dutch person thinks about the way legal xtc sales should take shape. According to Snelders, however, the study does provide interesting insights and leads. For instance, it offers pointers for designing policy on the legalization of xtc sales, should it come to that. In addition, Snelders says it would be interesting to continue the research in other cities, and try to involve a more diverse audience. Finally, the xtc store has proven very effective in creating awareness among visitors about the regulation of xtc sales. "Often, communication on such topics is a one-sided top-down process," Snelders says. "In the xtc store, visitors experienced for themselves what options are available and formed their opinions based on that."
