Highest dose of MDMA ever recorded in Ireland found at Electric Picnic

Ellen O'Donoghue

Drug testers at Electric Picnic uncovered an MDMA tablet containing the highest dosage ever recorded in Ireland.

The pill contained 312 milligrams of the drug, which is three times the normal dose.

The HSE said that it was enough to kill someone.

It was submitted to an HSE initiative which tests drugs for festival goers and was one of 110 drug samples that underwent back-of-house checks at the festival, according to Newstalk.

Professor Eamon Keenan, HSE clinical lead of addiction services, described the discovery to Newstalk as very worrying.

“We have been noticing over the last number of years, as we’ve been doing this project, that MDMA strength has been increasing, and this year at Electric Picnic, one of the samples which was submitted to us was identified as having 312 milligrams of MDMA in the tablet," he said.

“It’s over three times the normal dose and can have fatal consequences. An individual can experience overheating, blood pressure can go up, breathing is affected, it could cause cardiac problems, everything goes into overdrive," he told The Irish Times.

“It’s the highest level we’ve ever seen in Ireland; that’s a big concern. The drug market is changing across Europe and we’re seeing more diverse and potent substances emerging on to the market.”

In 2024, the HSE’s drug-checking programme at big music events found 39 per cent of all pills were greater than 200mg in strength, compared to the 19 per cent strength tested in 2023.

Back-of-house checking at festivals, which allows a user to anonymously deposit a drug sample for analysis, enables medical experts to better understand which drugs are circulating, Prof Keenan told the paper.