Festivalgoers have been warned of potentially life-threatening ecstasy pills at Glastonbury this year.
Drug charity The Loop raised the alarm about dangerous pills found in the UK after testing drugs at other festivals ahead of Glastonbury.
The tests revealed pills with more than 300mg of MDMA in them – around three times a common adult dose.
It comes as revelers are already flocking to Worthy Farm in Somerset for another epic festival with Shania Twain, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Paul McCartney among the headliners.
But those familiar with lower strength pills and young festivalgoers could be at particular risk from the super-strength drugs, the Guardian reports.
It spotted the dangerous pills during drug checking at Manchester’s Parklife and in Bristol after test revealed pills with more than 300mg of MDMA.
People could be caught out especially as the average strength of pills has returned to pre-pandemic levels, the outlet said.
Adam Waugh, training coordinator of The Loop, urged revelers to be cautious if deciding to take drugs: ‘The safest option is not to take pills. However, if someone is going to take them, it is safer to start with a quarter.’
He continued: ‘Wait at least 90 minutes before re-dosing, and do not assume that pills of a similar design have the same contents. Pills which look very similar can have different contents and be of differing strengths.’
Launching its campaign #TakeQuarterSipWater today ahead of Glasto, the charity said high strength MDMA is thought to be one of the biggest contributors of MDMA-related deaths.
It highlighted the UK festival settings posing particular risks for drug taking, with half of the people who are estimated to take drugs at festivals taking larger quantities of drugs than usual and during sessions from morning until night over multiple days.
Combined with binge drinking, lack of sleep, poor eating, environmental stimuli and dehydration can increase the risks of drug taking, the charity explained.
In May, The Loop obtained the first ever licence issued by the Home Office for onsite festival testing.
It comes after the government was criticised last year for blocking the charity from carrying out the testing at Parklife, where it has had a presence since 2014.
Ecstasy remains an illegal class A controlled drug in the UK. Like heroin, cocaine, LSD, magic mushrooms and other class As, the maximum penalty for supply or production is life in prison and/or an unlimited fine.
Penalty for possession of a class A drug is up to seven years in prison, an unlimited fine or both. The penalty will depend on the class and quantity of the drug, where you and the drugs were found, your personal history and other aggravating or mitigating factors.
So far this year, the charity has tested 150 products bought as MDMA.
While a number of pills contained more than 300mg, one in ten of pills tested were over 250mg in strength, which is at least two times an adult dose.
The Loop said this is the first time since before the pandemic tests have shown pills containing more than 300mg of MDMA.
It also urged partygoers taking drugs to take regular breaks from dancing as MDMA can raise the body temperature.
16-year-old David Celino died two years ago at Leeds Festival after possibly taking MDMA.
He had reportedly taken one and a half ecstasy pills, according to the Guardian.
Another dangerous drug has been linked to 180 deaths across the UK, and it is being sold on the Telegram app popular among teenagers.
Nitazene drug is 100 times stronger than heroin and it is being made into pills that look like ecstasy pills, police warned.
It has been linked to 47 deaths in Scotland, according to the National Crime Agency.
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