Dodgy drugs emerge at festivals

• Published date: 28 December 2020
• Author: Michael Neilson
• Date: 28 December 2020

Know Your Stuff, which runs a drug-testing service at festivals, said its clinics over the past few months had reported an increasing number of cases where what people thought would be pure MDMA — also known as ecstasy, of molly — either turned out to be just cathinones or had just enough MDMA to “spoof” the tests.

Synthetic cathinones, also known colloquially as “bath salts”, have a similar euphoric onset to MDMA but wear off faster, leading people to redose, running into trouble.

However, other effects are more potent, and can lead to anxiety, paranoia, gastric distress, seizures, or respiratory failure.

Mephedrone, a common cathinone found in New Zealand, has been linked to several deaths in Britain and Europe.

Toxic industrial chemical methylenedianiline was found this month being sold in place of MDMA in Auckland.

Know Your Stuff warned that the chemical has been linked to several poisoning cases in Auckland where the patients suffered liver damage.

Know Your Stuff deputy manager Dr Jez Weston said it was likely used as MDMA simply because it was available on the illicit market.

The organisation had found the substitute in testing right across the nation, and testers were already seeing more than last year, Weston said.

They’d found cathinones in pressed pills and crystal form.

The more common ones found in New Zealand include N-ethyl pentylone, mephedrone and eutylone.

On rare occasions methylone, mexedrone, 4-methylmethcathinone, MDPV, and Alpha-PVP have also been found.

Cathinones are usually more potent than MDMA, so...