At least part of ecstasy's popularity is based on how easy it is to take. It is sold primarily in pill form. Users swallow the small pills with water or alcohol. Some users have been known to crush ecstasy and snort it. The average dose per pill is 50 milligrams, but the dosages can range up to 300 milligrams. Sometimes ecstasy is taken deliberately with other controlled substances. A combination of ecstasy and LSD is called a "candy flip." The DAWN report indicates that ecstasy users who are admitted to hospital emergency rooms sometimes also test positive for marijuana, hallucinogens, or stimulants such as cocaine.

Substance abuse is a pattern of behavior that displays many adverse results from continual use of a substance. Substance dependence is a group of behavioral and physiological symptoms that indicate the continual, compulsive use of a substance in self-administered doses despite the problems related to the use of the substance. The characteristics of abuse are a failure to carry out obligations at home or work, continual use under circumstances that present a hazard (such as driving a car), and legal problems such as arrests. Use of the drug is persistent despite personal problems caused by the effects of the substance on the self or others. In substance dependence, as the patient's tolerance for the drug increases, increased amounts of a substance are needed to achieve the desired effect or level of intoxication. Withdrawal is a physiological and psychological change that occurs when the body's concentration of the substance declines in a person who has been a heavy user.

Both fatal and nonfatal injuries commonly result from violence, and these injuries are more likely to be alcohol-related than injuries from any other cause, for men and for women, regardless of age. Such injuries are considered intentional and include those nonfatal injuries resulting from assaults and fights, as well as fatal injuries from homicides and suicides. Alcohol is more likely to be involved in fatal injuries from violence than in nonfatal injuries treated in an ER in the same geographic locality, and a positive BAC in nonfatal injuries among ER patients has been found to range from 17 to 70 percent (Cherpitel, 1993b). These figures refer to alcohol involvement among the victims of violence-related events, and little is known about the alcohol involvement of the perpetrator of such events, but the correlation is thought to also be high. ER patients with violence-related injuries are also more likely to be heavier drinkers and to report alcohol-related problems than those with injuries from other causes.

Ecstasy is a slang term for an illegal drug that has effects similar to those of hallucinogens and stimulants. Ecstasy's scientific name is "MDMA," short for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, a name that's nearly as long as the all-night dance club "raves" or "trances" where ecstasy is often used. That's why MDMA is called a "club drug."

Cocaine and methamphetamine continue to be imported and available in Alaska.

DTOs obtain most of the methamphetamines for sale in Alaska through other organizations or individuals in the lower 48 states.

Marijuana is the most abused drug in Alaska.

DTOs which are responsible for the distribution of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana in Alaska are also obtaining small amounts of MDMA (street name Ecstasy), LSD and GHB which are known as "Club Drugs".

The use and posession of marijuana was re-criminalized in Alaska in June 2006.

Crack cocaine continues to be a specific threat in Alaska.