European drug experts report a “dramatic increase” in the potency of high-strength ecstasy tablets, including so-called ‘super pills’.
The 2016 annual report of the European drugs agency said that Ireland had the fourth highest quantity of ecstasy (MDMA) seized in the EU in 2014.
The 465,083 tablets seized was greater than that of the UK (423,000) and just behind that of Germany (486,852).
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (Emcdda) estimated he total amount of MDMA seized in the EU doubled from 2.4 million tablets in 2009 to around 5.5m in 2014.
The report said there was a “resurgence” in MDMA, characterised by a diversity of products – tablets, powders and crystals. It said nine out of 12 countries that provided recent updates reported higher use of ecstasy and t had spread out from the traditional dance scene to a wider range of young people and more mainstream nightlife.
Emcdda scientific director Paul Griffiths said this revival has been driven by a “dramatic increase” in the potency of the drugs.
He said there was a huge growth in the shapes and colours of tablets, with even “glow in the dark” pills, all part of a more sophisticated marketing strategy by producers.
The agency has issued a number of public health alerts since 2014 regarding high-potency tablets. It said the strength of MDMA during the 1990s and 2000s ranged somewhere between 50-80mg, but , at present, was closer to 125mg per tablet.
“There are also ‘super pills’ found on the market in some countries with a reported range of 270-340mg,” said the report.
Source: Cormac O'Keeff, Irish Examiner, 01/06/16
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