Warning about 'double-dose' ecstasy pills at festivals
11 hours ago
By Jared Evitts, BBC Newsbeat
The LoopA drug testing charity has warned festival-goers that super-potent MDMA pills, The Loop, based in Bristol, carried out tests in the city and during the recent Parklife festival in Manchester.
CEO Katy Porter told BBC Newsbeat the charity had checked more than 150 pills sold as MDMA and found that the average concentration had increased since last year.
She said some effectively contained a "double dose" of the substance, posing a "risk much higher overdose and potential death."
This is the highest strength recorded by The Loop since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and Katy said it was particularly concerning in the current hot weather.
She said the drugs increase body temperature and that "dancing, going out and possibly being dehydrated" adds to the risk.
The Loop says it does not condone or endorse drug use, but wants people to have as much information as possible about what is available.
The Loop< /figure>The charity said the average concentration of pills tested last year was "around 140 mg". class="sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe">This figure rose to 180 mg this year, with one in ten drugs tested having a concentration above 250 mg, he adds.
Katy said one of the most important findings in her testing was the wide variation in pill concentration.
"It's important to remember that just because a drug looks the same, it doesn't mean it's the same," she said.
"It may not be what was taken previously, already sold it to you."
Katy told Newsbeat that younger and less experienced...
11 hours ago
By Jared Evitts, BBC Newsbeat
The LoopA drug testing charity has warned festival-goers that super-potent MDMA pills, The Loop, based in Bristol, carried out tests in the city and during the recent Parklife festival in Manchester.
CEO Katy Porter told BBC Newsbeat the charity had checked more than 150 pills sold as MDMA and found that the average concentration had increased since last year.
She said some effectively contained a "double dose" of the substance, posing a "risk much higher overdose and potential death."
This is the highest strength recorded by The Loop since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and Katy said it was particularly concerning in the current hot weather.
She said the drugs increase body temperature and that "dancing, going out and possibly being dehydrated" adds to the risk.
The Loop says it does not condone or endorse drug use, but wants people to have as much information as possible about what is available.
The Loop< /figure>The charity said the average concentration of pills tested last year was "around 140 mg". class="sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fYAfXe">This figure rose to 180 mg this year, with one in ten drugs tested having a concentration above 250 mg, he adds.
Katy said one of the most important findings in her testing was the wide variation in pill concentration.
"It's important to remember that just because a drug looks the same, it doesn't mean it's the same," she said.
"It may not be what was taken previously, already sold it to you."
Katy told Newsbeat that younger and less experienced...
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