title: What's in a label? Ecstasy sellers' perceptions of pill brands.
abstract: This article presents selected findings from a qualitative study of Ecstasy sellers and their sales practices, knowledge of distribution networks, buyer-seller relationships, and self-reported drug use. In-depth interviews were conducted with 80 men and women who had sold five or more hits of Ecstasy five or more times in the six months prior to the interview. Study participants described their perceptions of the various types of Ecstasy they had distributed or used themselves. The participants had experience with a variety of Ecstasy labels, from the popular "Blue Dolphin" tablets to the powdered form called "Molly." We tracked pill brand mentions on Ecstasy-related websites to compare with interviewees' descriptions of Ecstasy brands. This study examines Ecstasy sellers' ideas about the role of brand names in Ecstasy markets and their relationship to their beliefs about different types of Ecstasy's purity and quality. We demonstrate that considering Ecstasy branding increases our understanding of buyer and seller relationships.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Scientific Analysis, 390 Fourth Street, Second floor, Suite D, San Francisco, California 94107, USA.
authors.forename: Micheline
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duterte
authors.forename: Camille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jacinto
authors.forename: Paloma
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sales
authors.forename: Sheigla
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murphy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019969:Amphetamine-Related Disorders / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology; D003132:Commerce; D004304:Dosage Forms; D016527:Drug Costs; D004348:Drug Labeling; D055030:Drug Users / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006213:Hallucinogens / Q000191:economics*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine / Q000191:economics*; D010465:Perception; D012495:San Francisco; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D035502:Trust
chemical_list: D004304:Dosage Forms; D006213:Hallucinogens; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine