“Blue Punisher” ecstasy pill’s found in Manchester are reportedly up to 5x the average dose.
A number of pressed ecstasy pills found in Manchester, UK have recorded doses of MDMA up to 477mg, four to five times the usual dosage.
Depending on your persuasion this could be either a good deal or just plain scary. Either way, with dosages varying significantly between pills, these are some potentially dangerous party favours.
A high dose of MDMA, the psychoactive stimulant also found in powdered and crystal form, is considered to be around 125mg. That said, the whopping 477mg found in these particular, blue diamond-shaped pills is pretty astonishing.
The aptly coined “blue punisher” pills were tested and re-tested last week by the MANDRAKE drug analysis lab based at Manchester Metropolitan University.
According to MANDRAKE, these ecstasy pills were “significantly heavier than normal” at around 650mg total.
MANDRAKE have tested a whole batch of high-potency ecstasy pills confiscated from multiple Manchester nightclubs around 10 days ago. They ranged in MDMA content from 397mg to 477mg, with a total of 6 pills found in one bag that contained 477mg.
WARNING! 12/11/2021. Multiple Blue “Punisher” embossed “thicker” tablets (LHS) confirmed by @MANDRAKE_LAB, to contain #MDMA (397 – 477 mg/tab) = to 4-5x the common oral dose. Even ½ of these pills is v. high dose. High dose will not increase effect but increases risk of death. pic.twitter.com/23fThTN4XW
— MANDRAKE (@MANDRAKE_LAB) November 12, 2021
“Blue punishers” are recognisable by their usage of the skull logo from Marvel anti-hero the Punisher. It seems they’ve become quite the legend, famed both for their high MDMA concentration and comedic title.
Guy Jones, the drug analysis expert from Reagent Tests UK, said, “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.”
Fiona Measham, chair of criminology at the University of Liverpool and director at drug testing NGO, The Loop, said that the extra thickness of these particular ecstasy pills could mean they were produced by mistake.
ALERT: Blue 'Punisher' pills (a skull logo in a superman shape) tested today at @LSTDBristol found to contain >300mg MDMA. This is 3-4 times a typical expected dose. Common harm reduction advice is start with a quarter and regularly sip water! #startlowgoslow pic.twitter.com/T4BsROy0jN
— The Loop (@WeAreTheLoopUK) May 26, 2018
Ecstasy pills have been increasing in strength over the last decade. In 2014 the average MDMA content of pills was reportedly 108mg, that figure has now risen to between 150-200mg.
