German police are warning of the use of specific ecstasy pills following the death of two teenage girls.
The ‘Blue Punisher’ pills, featuring the skull logo associated with the Marvel comic book character The Punisher, have recently caused the death of a 13-year-old girl from Altentreptow, Germany.
The police are also investigating the death of a 15-year-old who died in the German town of Rathenow, which authorities suspect was a narcotics overdose, and are looking into whether the Blue Punishers were a cause.
Two other teenagers, 14 and 15, were hospitalised after taking it and being found lying on the ground. A 37-year-old person from Germany has been arrested in connection with the death.
The distinctive super-strength pills have been found in the UK, too, with Blue Punishers found in a Manchester nightclub testing at 477mg of MDMA — 125mg is considered a ‘high dose’.
What are Blue Punishers?
In a 2021 report by Dazed, the little blue pills were described as being the “world’s strongest” ecstasy pills, and are believed to contain around five times the usual dose of MDMA.
Drugs experts say that these high levels make the pills particularly deadly.
Drug analyst Guy Jones from Reagent Tests UK told VICE: “This is a new world record. Impossible to rule out that a stronger one has ever been made, but the number of pills over 400mg with a public test result could be counted on one hand.”
Blue Punishers have been in circulation in the UK since as far back as 2018, with pills containing 250-300mg being found at festivals in Bristol and Cornwall.
And in 2019, 19-year-old Harley Girven died in his home on the Isle of Wight after taking two “triple strength” Blue Punisher pills on a night out with friends.
With festival season upon us, it can be worthwhile — and potentially life-saving — to use a drug-checking service to find out what you are consuming, if drugs are a fixture of your nightlife and recreation.
In 2021, researchers at Cardiff University tested ecstasy at three festivals and found that half of the samples (45%), contained no MDMA whatsoever.
New research published by the journal Drugs, Habits and Social Policy journal has found that drug-checking services at festivals can reduce the possibility of drug-related harm and don’t result in increased quantities of drugs being consumed, despite the Home Office wanting to end it.
Fiona Measham, chair of criminology at the University of Liverpool and director at drug testing NGO, The Loop, explains: “If a customer uses a drug checking service and finds out the strength of a pill is 477mg, then they can simply divide it into quarters and they have four average adult doses of MDMA, with no more risk than any other 120mg pill.
“Knowledge is power, but lack of information on strength can transform a pill from benign to deadly.”
For more information on the effects of ecstasy and its safety, head here.