Drop in and Drop off at Drugs.ie tent at DX

The HSE Safer Nightlife Programme will offer harm reduction services at District X Festival this Friday, 19 and Saturday, 20 September in Johnstown, Co Kildare.

Two HSE drug harm reduction teams will provide support for people to help them reduce the harms and look after themselves and others, to help create a safer festival. An on-site ‘back of house’ drug checking service to identify if extra risky batches of drugs are in circulation is in operation at the event from 2.30pm until 9pm on Saturday.

Professor Eamon Keenan, National Clinical Lead, HSE Addiction Services, said: 

“We know the MDMA market is evolving, and pills and powders/crystals now contain more MDMA than in the past. At Electric Picnic 2025, we had a total of 110 samples submitted to us, which included cocaine, ketamine, and MDMA. In relation to MDMA, year on year we have been seeing increases in the potency or strength of MDMA, and this year one of the tablets we identified contained 312 milligrams of MDMA, which is the highest that we’ve ever seen in Ireland. We also received some MDMA for testing, which had no MDMA in them at all, yet were being sold as MDMA.

Our advice remains the same: it is always safer not to use drugs. For those who choose to, we encourage them to engage with us when they arrive at the event, follow our practical steps to help reduce the harms, and consider submitting a sample of your drugs to help look after not only yourself but the wider District X community.”

Nicki Killeen, HSE Emerging Drug Trends Project Manager, said: 

“Just because we’re not warning about contamination, this doesn’t mean the risk is lower. Today’s MDMA is different from the past, and we are seeing that even identical-looking pills can greatly vary in strength. Many pills are now branded the same and have different contents; this makes it difficult to communicate harm reduction or focus on one picture. People can react differently to pills that look the same. We are also seeing cases where MDMA powder is added to drinks, leading to medical emergencies. Alongside high-strength MDMA, new forms of ketamine and ‘pink cocaine’ are also appearing, which has been found to contain no cocaine but a range of drugs. It is important to know that risks are increasing, and you should treat each pill, powder, or crystal as high-risk.

We have a long-standing partnership with DX organisers, built on a shared belief in harm reduction. We encourage festival goers to talk to our HSE teams at DX for the latest harm reduction advice and to contribute a sample for onsite analysis. This is the only service that can use real-time analysis of substances to detect if extra risky batches are in circulation. DX festivalgoers can play a vital role in helping us build a clearer picture of drug trends and issue alerts on extra risky substances.”

The HSE advises attendees to:

• Know the signs of a club drug emergency: a club drug emergency can start as a high temperature, headache or migraine, general feeling unwell, confusion, anxiety, pains in arms, legs/shins.
• Avoid using more than one drug at a time; this includes mixing drugs with alcohol and prescription medication such as anti-depressants.
• Be in the know before you go: there is extra risk at this time. Drugs may be higher strength than you think, making it easier to take more than your body can handle.
• Stay with people you trust and ensure no one is left alone. Be a good bystander and support others. Tell staff if you think a friend is missing.
• Keep cool and stay hydrated but don’t drink over a pint of water an hour. Take breaks from dancing, check in with yourself and others.
• Avoid putting powders in drinks, this can lead to you taking too much too soon leading to a drug emergency
• Start low and go very slow-take a small test dose. Pace yourself by taking a small amount and leaving time between use, which can help you identify how you are reacting to the substance. If you don’t react as expected, avoid taking more.
• If in doubt, get it checked out. Chat with teams onsite if you are concerned about a drug reaction. Your wellbeing is the main priority.
• Don’t delay getting medical help: Medics are your mates and your wellbeing is the main priority.
• Give the medics what is left of the drug so the HSE can analyse.

Follow our X (Twitter) and Instagram accounts (@Drugs.ie) for updates on drug trends, warnings, and alerts.

Our drug monitoring page is regularly updated.