title: Substance use in the club scene of Rome: a pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Over the last few years, a wide number of unregulated substances have been marketed on the Web and in smart and head shops; they are usually advertised as legal alternatives to commonly known drugs and are defined as "smart drugs," "legal highs," and "novel psychoactive substances" (NPS). Aim of our work is to describe use habits and distribution of NPS in a population of young adults in Rome club scene.
  
  
  METHODS
  A self-administered questionnaire was proposed to subjects over 18 years of age at the entrance of 5 nightclubs in Rome. Socioeconomic characteristics and substance use were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Preliminary results give evidence that 78% of respondents have a lifetime history of NPS use. In addition, 56% of the sample has consumed illicit drugs in the past and 39% has used psychoactive substances in the 12 hours preceding the questionnaire administration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A significant proportion of subjects report use of novel psychoactive substances; traditional illicit drugs consumption, particularly cocaine, appears to be very high as well in the club scene. These data highlight a serious public health challenge, since pharmacological, toxicological, and psychopathological effects linked to interactions among all these substances may be unpredictable and sometimes fatal in vulnerable individuals.
authors.affiliation: Asl RMC, Osservatorio sulle Dipendenze e sui Disturbi Psichici Sotto Soglia, 00100 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro Emiliano
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Vento
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, University "G.d'Annunzio", 66100 Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martinotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, University "G.d'Annunzio", 66100 Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cinosi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, University "G.d'Annunzio", 66100 Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3183-0096
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lupi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, University "G.d'Annunzio", 66100 Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Tiziano
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Acciavatti
authors.affiliation: Asl VT, Osservatorio sulle Dipendenze e sui Disturbi Psichici Sotto Soglia, 00100 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Carrus
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, University "G.d'Annunzio", 66100 Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1377-9183
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Santacroce
authors.affiliation: Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta, 00100 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chillemi
authors.affiliation: Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta, 00100 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Ludovica
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5746-1786
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bonifaci
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, University "G.d'Annunzio", 66100 Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: di Giannantonio
authors.affiliation: School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Herts SG13, UK.
authors.forename: Ornella
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Corazza
authors.affiliation: School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Herts SG13, UK.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schifano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D012384:Rome / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs