Drug safety charity The Loop has shared the results of its first festival testing operation of the summer, at last weekend’s Parklife in Manchester.
After testing a number of MDMA pills that were either seized or handed in at drug amnesty bins, the organisation found that a number of new pills were in circulation in the UK. While sharing a graphic detailing the new pills discovered, as well as their strength, the organisation said they contained 1.5 times more than the standard dose on average. The strongest discovered, a pill resembling the first emoji, contained 223mg of MDMA, a significant amount more than the standard dose.
The Loop travels to UK festivals each summer and sets up testing laboratories as a means of tracking trends in drugs in order to warn people about potential dangers from the drugs in circulation, and limit damage.
In a TikTok video about the organisation’s latest tests, researcher Jay Jackson said: "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 percent, and average pill strength and the range of doses are pretty much in line with the historical average."
The Loop plans to set up its testing operation at eight UK events this summer. Further information on where the organisation will be heading to will be revealed via its social media pages.
News of these latest tests follows on from the publishing of a recent report on last summer’s testing operation, which found that supply chain issues caused by Brexit and COVID-19 saw a dramatic decrease in the amount of MDMA found within pills sold as the drug. Many didn’t actually contain MDMA at all.
