A drugs awareness charity has released details of several new ecstasy pills found in circulation at Parklife - and urged caution for any clubbers thinking of taking them. The Loop shared a graphic on Twitter showing pictures of eight pills and the amount of MDMA they contained.
Researchers found the tablets on the list contained an average of 170mg of MDMA - 1.5 times the average adult dose. Most potent were the 'fist emoji' pills, which contained more than double the standard amount.
The Loop, which is invited to festivals across the country to test drugs found on site in a bid to reduce harm, tweeted: "New pills in '22: Here is a selection of MDMA pills tested for the 1st time by The Loop @ParklifeFest, our 1st festival of the 2022 UK summer festival season. Average MDMA pill strength was ~170mg, ~1.5x an average adult dose. #JustSayKnow #TakeQuarterAndSipWater #GoSlowStayLow."
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The charity also found the number of fake ecstasy pills - tablets which contained no MDMA - had also fallen. Last year drugs experts warned of a 'really worrying' trend as the number of fake pills in circulation rocketed, as dealers found it difficult to get hold of MDMA due to supply problems caused by covid and Brexit.
Ecstasy manufacturers were found to be substituting MDMA with substances such as 4-CMC and 3-MMC. Both chemicals are similar to mephedrone, which can cause MDMA-like sensations but can also lead to hypertension, pains in the chest, fear, aggression, agitation, psychosis, hallucinations, and insomnia.
But of the pills tested at Parklife this year just 11 per cent were found to be fake, compared to 45 per cent of the tablets The Loop tested at festivals throughout 2021. In a TikTok video The Loop researcher Jay Jackson said: "Last year around half the samples we thought were MDMA turned out to not contain any MDMA whatsoever.
"I don't want to speak too soon but if we look at the results from the lab at Parklife we can maybe say the MDMA shortage is over. We have seen a significant reduction from the unprecedented high level of fake MDMA in circulation last year that was caused by a mixture of Brexit and covid.
"It's back down to a level of around 11 per cent and average pill strength and the range of doses are pretty much in line with historical average. However this doesn't mean that taking drugs is any safer than it was before. If you are going to take them remember to stay low ands go slow, drink water and #JustSayKnow."
The full details of the eight new pills:
- Green and red bi-layer Louis Vuitton - 199mg MDMA
- Brown/yellow Dollar Eyes Emoji - 143mg MDMA
- Red Small Lips Trump - 188mg MDMA
- Green Lucky Clover - 208mg MDMA
- Green Dollar Moneybag - 118mg MDMA
- Purple Dutch Canal House - 160mg MDMA
- Yellow Fist Emoji - 223mg MDMA
- Pink VW Campervan - 163mg MDMA
