The Health Service Executive (HSE) has issued a cautionary word about the dangers posed by “potent” MDMA tablets at the Electric Picnic festival in Stradbally, Co Laois, over the weekend. The tablets have been linked to medical crises, including seizures.
Following this, the HSE advised festival attendees to pay heed to the health of fellow festival-goers. They issued a statement on X platform stating, “The tablets are triggering medical emergencies, including seizures. Avoiding drug use altogether is the safest approach, but if you choose to use drugs, start with a low dose, increase gradually, and look after yourself and others. #MinimiseTheDamage.”
MDMA, an artificial psychoactive substance that can be obtained in powder or crystal format, is the key component in ecstasy tablets. The composition and potency of these tablets can differ, despite their similar appearance. MDMA powders and crystals carry identical risks.
The HSE brought attention to the rising purity of MDMA in Europe and its inherent hazards. Consuming high quantities of MDMA can cause hospital admissions or even fatal consequences. In some instances, MDMA has been discovered to contain thrice the typical adult dosage, escalating the potential risks.
MDMA crystals can be mixed with other riskier and longer-lasting substances, such as pentylone and other ‘cathinone type’ substances recently identified in Europe. These substances can influence re-dosing and have mental health impacts including paranoia, anxiety, hyperstimulation, and sleeplessness.
The HSE is providing harm reduction services for drug use at Electric Picnic. Attendees can get information relating to drug use and have their drugs surrendered for on-site evaluation.
A duo of Drugs.ie tents, operating between 11am and 9pm each day, are open. In addition, there are two surrender bins at on-site medical areas where festival-goers can leave their drugs for assessment.
Nicki Killeen, project manager at HSE’s emerging trends, revealed that the dosage of MDMA now spans from 140mg to 240mg. According to her, “MDMA above 125mg poses a considerable risk of causing an MDMA emergency. This implies that ingesting a single tablet or a small quantity of powder could potentially be extremely hazardous. Another alarming trend is the increase in incidences of powders being spiked in drinks, an occurrence we predict to escalate. Ketamine consumption has massively surged, and many individuals remain ignorant of its immediate and prolonged repercussions.”