Max HeyraudHow the drug market is changing and what you need to know to party safely.
We’ve teamed up with the HSE to bring you the latest information to help you have safer nights out. We’re now partnering with them to share some of their substance analysis results to help you understand the current drug market and what you need to do to reduce harms.
The HSE’s Emerging Drug Trend Project Manager, Nicki Killeen, has collaborated with some of the biggest local dance events in Ireland, such as Life, District 8 and DX and over the years has volunteered at a number of editions of ADE to deliver drug harm reduction. Nicki works closely with a range of nightlife and drug checking services in the UK and across the EU, and recently was a keynote speaker at the International Club Health Conference. This work helps the HSE develop its work within nightlife settings and the development of an Early Warning System to detect extra risky batches of drugs to help reduce harm.
We’ve worked with the HSE over the years on the area of drug harm reduction, from promoting some of the first nightlife harm reduction campaigns, surveys on festival and nightlife use. We also support the HSE Emerging Drug Trends and Drug Checking Working Group, which reviewed policy perspectives on the development of drug checking in Ireland. Findings from a Four Four survey among clubbers were presented to the Working Group and included in their final report.
We chat to Nicki about different drug market trends, the HSE safer nightlife programme and harm reduction advice.
MDMA market changes and high-strength MDMA – what this means for you
The dance music scene has a long-established relationship with the use of club drugs, predominantly MDMA/ Ecstasy and increases in use in the 1990s led to the development of several European nightlife harm reduction programmes which still operate today. At this time, MDMA use was linked with certain club scenes, whereas now, we consider that MDMA has moved from the cultural margins to the mainstream and is used across a range of nightlife settings. These increases in use are happening at a time when the market is changing and has new risks.
Throughout the 90s – 2000s, MDMA would have contained 50-80mg of MDMA
Following this, the nightlife scene was impacted by a production mix-up, which led to the substances PMA/PMMA being mistakenly sold instead of MDMA. PMA/PMMA infiltrating the market led to a number of deaths across Europe and in Ireland. The HSE reports that there were 40 drug-related deaths during the period of 2012– 2017, where both PMA/PMMA were referenced on toxicology reports.
After this, the MDMA market quickly changed to pills, powders and crystals, increasing in strength.
“Because we aren’t reporting on contamination, this does not mean there isn’t a significant risk. Year on year, we are seeing MDMA products increase in strength, which means it could be easy to take too much too soon for your body to handle. It is important to realise that current MDMA products are different to the past. We have seen cases of people mistakenly taking too much across Europe and in Ireland. Harm reduction messaging in the 2000s would have focused on not ‘double-dropping’, which changed to taking half a pill. Now, harm reduction agencies recommend this as ‘take a quarter and sip water’.
Another concern across Ireland and the UK is people putting powders, crystals into drinks. This has led to medical emergencies from people taking too much MDMA too soon. While people may see alerts about pills, we are also concerned for the potency of powders and crystals”
HSE Safer Nightlife Programme results
Through the HSE Safer Nightlife Programme, MDMA samples can be collected and reviewed by the HSE Emerging Drug Trend Laboratory.
This is the first time that MDMA has been analysed to confirm how strong it is in Ireland. The HSE now have information on pills from a range of different events during 2022 – 2025.
In 2024, the HSE reported that 2 in 5 pills were considered high strength – over two times the average adult dose.
The HSE issued an alert at Electric Picnic 2025 after finding multiple high-strength pills. One of the pills contained 312 milligrams of MDMA, which is over three times the average adult dose and the highest that was analysed in Ireland.
It is important for people to be aware that multiple pills, powders and crystals in circulation now carry extra risk and not just products featured in alerts. Through their analysis, the HSE found that some pills contained 0mg of MDMA even though they looked the same as high-strength products. This confirms that copycat pills are in circulation and that products can vary in content and strength. This makes it difficult to communicate and show photos of pills for harm reduction purposes. You could react differently to pills that look the same each time you use them.
How can you reduce harm if you use MDMA?
It is safer not to use drugs at all; there are always risks based on personal factors, the drug and how the drug is taken.
If you do choose to use MDMA, consider the risks and steps that can help you reduce harm.
Be in the know on current MDMA trends:
- Higher strength MDMA = higher risk of taking too much, too soon
- One pill ≠, one dose – larger pills can contain more
- Powder has the same risks as pills- it is hard to know how much you are taking
- Avoid mixing MDMA powder into drinks – it can lead to taking too much too soon and a drug emergency
- Pills that look the same may contain different amounts or other drugs
Everyone can have a different reaction
How you react after taking MDMA depends on the dose, your mood, health, body size and whether you’ve eaten. Even experienced people can have panic attacks or become very unwell if they take too much MDMA.
Pills, powders and crystals – how you take them can impact the effect times
Orally taking MDMA can lead to longer times before you feel the effects. Avoid taking more.
Start low and go very slow
Take a test dose, for example, a quarter of a pill. Wait at least 2 hours before considering taking more. If you’re using powder/crystals, weigh your dose as accurately as possible. Some MDMA takes over two hours for the full effect.
Avoid putting powders and crystals in drinks.
This increases the risk of overconsumption and a drug emergency. Dab and wait.
Leave the mixing to the DJ
Avoid using MDMA with other drugs, including alcohol and prescription medication. This increases your risk of a drug emergency based on how different drugs interact with each other. Some antidepressants, such as those that work on your serotonin, can increase the risks. Alcohol and prescription medication can mask the effects, so you could end up taking more while MDMA is working inside your body and increasing the risk of taking too much.
Keep cool, sip water and stay hydrated, but don’t drink over a pint of water an hour
MDMA can confuse your body temperature and make it rise quickly. Take breaks from dancing and give your body a chance to cool down. Stay hydrated with water or isotonic drinks, but don’t drink over a pint (500ml) in an hour. If you are at an event with the HSE providing harm reduction, they will have reusable water bottles and fans to help you stay cool.
MDMA ‘come down’
Some people will feel low, anxious, and depressed for several days after using. If this is affecting you, talk to a friend or visit drugs.ie for information. Avoid using again to improve your mood or help your come down.’
How does the ‘Back of house’ drug checking service work?
- Once a festival attendee submits a drug to the HSE harm reduction bins, the onsite lab can quickly identify what is in the substance.
- The HSE will review the drug to check if there is an extra risk due to potency and if extra potentially risky substances are present, such as opioids.
- The HSE will then work with organisers to communicate issues of concern with attendees.
- Collective results from the day will be used to inform harm reduction discussions
- A summary of concerns or results can be provided from the trends identified throughout the day by the harm reduction teams, who will be supporting attendees with the best available advice to help them reduce harm.
