THE HSE HAS issued a warning on the dangers of “pink powders” ahead of St Patrick’s weekend, as analysts have recently found a designer drug present in the substance that hasn’t been detected in Ireland before. 

The HSE’s emerging drug trends chief Nicki Killeen said that drugs are appearing on the market in Ireland that are multiple times stronger than a “normal dose”, and that it’s more important than ever that people are aware of the risks.

Nicki Killeen, the HSE’s emerging drug trends manager, said she’s concerned about young people using pink powders who think that what they are consuming is “pink cocaine”. 

“Despite the name, they rarely contain cocaine. The batches we’ve seen in Ireland vary but what we do know is the batches that we have looked at contain multiple drugs, so they could end up containing five different types of drugs that all interact with each other differently,” she explained. 

Killeen said that the stimulant 2-FMA (2-Fluoromethamphetamine) has been detected in samples of these ‘pink powders’ for the first time in Ireland, and that it’s part of an overall increase in the amount of drugs present in these powders, and in their strength. 

“The powders have a baseline of ketamine but they are sold as cocaine, so people think that is what they are taking. Added to that could be caffeine, paracetamol, benzodiazepines and bulking agents. They can also contain 2-CB which can have hallucinogenic effects that people aren’t expecting,” she further said. 

Killeen explains that when people have adverse medical reactions to the drug, because it’s hard to know exactly what mix of substances they will have taken, it’s difficult for medics on the scene to give them a full sense of what’s happened to them. 

Dr Dave Weir, consultant psychiatrist with the HSE, explained that people aren’t realising that powders have the potential to be much stronger than the pills that would have been more so in circulation in the nineties. 

“There’s a trend of mixing powders into drinks, and depending on how quickly they drink them and what’s left at the bottom of the bottle it can have really different effects,” he said. 

He added that while the symptoms of long-term cocaine usage are fairly well known in terms of psychiatric outcomes, we are still learning about the effects of long-term ketamine usage and occasional usage. 

“The longterm implications of that aren’t fully known yet but because we are seeing an increase in use, we may see not currently be prepared for psychiatric outcomes down the line,” he said. 

Dr Weir stressed that there’s been a shift from the use of powders to pills and crystals, especially when it comes to MDMA, which is also known as ecstasy. 

He said that analysis shows “extremely potent” MDMA is circulating in Ireland.

The HSE is encouraging people planning on using the drug to “start low, go slow” for that reason. 

Dr Weir said that it’s vital that people planning to take drugs stick with their friends, and stay hydrated.

Dublin-based DJ Shauna Dee said that she sees the impact of increased so-called ‘pink cocaine’ usage when she’s working. 

“You would hear about people selling it at venues, it’s become a lot more common,” she said. 

“Harm reduction is central to my work both as a DJ and as a youth worker. Not everyone who goes out uses substances, but it’s important that we help reduce the harms for those who do. Across the nightlife community we all share the same priority, keeping people safe,” she said.