A quantitative analysis of MDMA seized at New South Wales music festivals over the 2019/2020 season: Form, purity, dose and adulterants.
Matthew J A O'Reilly, Christine A Harvey, Robin Auld, Michelle Cretikos, Catherine Francis, Stephanie Todd, Daniel Barry, Una Cullinan, Michael Symonds
Drug and alcohol review February 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1111/dar.13412 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAcross 19 music festivals in New South Wales between October 2019 and March 2020, 302 substances suspected by police to contain MDMA were analyzed. 95% contained MDMA; the rest contained other drugs or no drug. Capsules were the most common form, followed by tablets, crystal, and powder. Median MDMA base-purity of non-tablet forms ranged from 73.5% to 75.0%. Median dose per tablet (116 mg) was higher than per capsule (68 mg), with wide variation: capsules ranged 14-146 mg, tablets 24-201 mg. Only 3.5% of tablets or capsules contained a high dose (130 mg or greater). Adulterants were found in 14.1% of MDMA substances, but only 1.6% contained a psychoactive adulterant, and none were dangerous.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 302 |
| Population | Suspected MDMA substances seized at music festivals in New South Wales |
| Duration | October 2019 to March 2020 |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Keywords | New south wales Music festivals Police Purity |
| Key finding | 95% of substances suspected to be MDMA contained MDMA, with wide variation in dose and purity across forms, but dangerous adulterants were rare. |
Abstract
This research aims to understand the content and nature, and to explore the harm potential, of suspected 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) substances circulating at music festivals in New South Wales. Across 19 music festivals held between October 2019 and March 2020, 302 substances detected and suspected by police to contain MDMA were selected for quantitative analysis. Five percent of substances contained a drug other than MDMA (n = 13) or no drug (n = 2). The remaining 95.0% (n = 287) contained MDMA. Of this sub-sample, capsule was the commonest form (83.3%), followed by tablet (7.7%), crystal (6.3%) and powder (2.8%). The median MDMA base-purity of non-tablet forms ranged between 73.5% and 75.0%. The median MDMA base-dose per tablet (116 mg) was higher than per capsule (68 mg). The dose range varied substantially for capsules (14-146 mg) and tablets (24-201 mg). A higher dose (130 mg or greater) was found in 3.5% of MDMA tablets or capsules. Adulterants were identified in 14.1% of MDMA substances but only 1.6% contained a psychoactive adulterant and none presented as dangerous due to their nature or low concentration. Dangerous MDMA adulterants or new psychoactive substances in tablet, capsule, powder or crystal forms (whether misrepresented as MDMA or not) were unlikely to be in circulation during the study period. Harm reduction messaging should inform that a key risk-factor for MDMA-related harm is the high and wide variation of purity and dose across forms. Market changes may have occurred since COVID-19, but continued monitoring will ensure messaging remains current.