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Tablets containing more than 150 milligrams of MDMA are considered high-strength ecstasy tablets, given the dose of MDMA required to elicit subjective effects in adults (a). On occasion, exceptionally high-strength ecstasy tablets were reported, reaching upwards of 250 milligrams of MDMA per tablet, which made up 1 % of all tablets tested in 2023 (3 % in the same period in 2022). In 2023, 39 % of the MDMA tablets tested by drug checking organisations submitting data to the TEDI network contained between 100 and 149.0 milligrams of MDMA (35 % in the same period in 2022), and 26 % contained between 150 and 199.9 milligrams (29 % in 2022). A study conducted by 10 drug-checking organisations from the TEDI network found that the increase in MDMA content in tablets in this time period was directly related to an increase in the average weight of ecstasy tablets (Vrolijk et al., 2022). From 2019 onwards a new cycle appears to have begun, whereby the number of ecstasy tablets containing other substances alongside, or instead of, MDMA has increased (as expressed by a drop in percentage in the indexed trends shown above from 96 % in 2019 to 73 % in 2022).
These detections have generally been small in quantity with the powders containing a range of different substances – always ketamine and MDMA, and typically additional substances including cocaine, caffeine or cathinone
From 2019 onwards a new cycle appears to have begun, whereby the number of ecstasy tablets containing other substances alongside, or instead of, MDMA has increased (as expressed by a drop in percentage in the indexed trends shown above from 96 % in 2019 to 73 % in 2022
Surrey Young People’s Substance Use Service
Crystal MDMA was marketed as a purer product compared to ecstasy tablets, an assertion that was and remains largely true (see Section The trend of large tablets containing more MDMA may be reversing). One way to observe these cycles is to monitor rates of adulteration, as expressed by the percentage of tested samples buy ecstasy of seized ecstasy tablets that contain MDMA and no other scheduled substances. Together, these two data sources suggests that the large majority of MDMA users buy the drug themselves, and that a smaller proportion obtains it for free, despite marked differences among EU countries. Some substances found in these drugs can be toxic, even at low doses and even pure MDMA can be dangerous.In fact, it could be argued that MDMA in the form of ecstasy tablets became cheaper between 2012 and 2019 as tablets containing larger quantities of MDMA became increasingly available on the market (see Section The trend of large tablets containing more MDMA may be reversing
What Does MDMA Stand For On A MDMA Ecstasy/Molly Test?
Adulteration appears to be more frequent in ecstasy tablets than in MDMA crystals. The increase in ecstasy tablets containing only MDMA from 2013 until 2019 is likely to be a reflection of this, at least in part. From 2004 to 2009, the proportion of seized European ecstasy tablets that contained MDMA as the only scheduled substance dropped substantially. When availability of MDMA is high, ecstasy tablets tend to contain MDMA as the main or only psychoactive ingredient, with the opposite occurring when there are shortages. Retail quantities sold online are often dispatched in post and parcels from EU Member States to consumer markets in Europe and globally, and cryptocurrencies are often used to settle these online transactions. An equal percentage of respondents reported delivery through regular mail or post, and picking the drugs up from a location without any personal contact (7 %The effect appeared to have been short-lived, and by the end of 2020 the price returned to pre-pandemic values (NPNL, buy ecstasy 2022). Some of the price disparity may be attributed to local factors, including distance to the producing centres (Netherlands and Belgium), but statistical artefacts (e.g. small sample sizes) may also be a factor. Individual factors and sex affect this dose, with women considered to be more susceptible to the 5-HT-releasing effects of MDMA (Liechti et al., 2001). This is consistent with law enforcement information that suggests the MDMA market in Europe is supplied by the same pool of producers, mostly based in the Netherlands and Belgium. It should be noted that this trend was observed across several countries in Europe.
Although very rarely reported, opioids may also be found in tablets buy ecstasy sold as MDMA. In the period from 2019 to 2023, caffeine, 4-CMC (4), amphetamine, cocaine and MDA were the adulterants most commonly found in MDMA samples (tablets and powders/crystals) submitted to drug-checking organisations belonging to the TEDI network. Again, these data should be interpreted with caution and not necessarily be seen as statistically representative of the market as a whole. Crystal MDMA appeared on the European market at that time, as a response to a fall in consumer confidence due to concerns about the low quality of ecstasy. However, adulteration is commonplace, and therefore these tablets may contain a variety of substances in addition to, or instead of, MDMA. Retail quantities sold online are often dispatched in post and parcels from EU Member States to consumer markets in Europe and globally, and cryptocurrencies are often used to settle these online transactions.
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