Concern over 'high strength' of cocaine as HSE expands drug checking at Electric Picnic

The Electric Picnic festival site at Stradbally in Co Laois where drugs testing will be taking place.

HSE bosses are concerned at the “high strength” of cocaine in circulation as they prepare for an expanded drug checking service at Electric Picnic this weekend.

It has emerged that one of the samples tested at a previous festival this year was of cocaine almost “100% pure” — a finding that “shocked” experienced health experts.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner ahead of the landmark festival, which is set to attract 70,000 people, HSE addiction lead Professor Eamon Keenan said: “We are, absolutely, seeing a rise in cocaine. 

"A lot of people are presenting with problems and we feel the higher strength cocaine is driving more adverse reactions.” 

He said the benefit of the HSE drug checking service — which started at Electric Picnic last year — meant they could identify the content and purity of substances and if a health alert was needed, they could send one out in “real-time” at the festivals.

He said: “By us analysing at the events and seeing the strength of drugs we were able to put out a risk assessment and we put one out at the Life Festival [in Co Westmeath last May] about high-strength cocaine.” 

He said they were taken aback at one of the tests: “One analysis found almost 100% pure cocaine — we were shocked at that.” 

He said they were “very surprised at the strength of cocaine circulating currently”.

One analysis found almost 100% pure cocaine but because of the drug checking they were able to identify it and alert possible users.

Prof Keenan said they were also concerned at the high strength of ketamine in circulation. 

Ketamine, a drug once on the margins, is described, at lower doses, as providing a sense of euphoria and dislocation and a ‘floating’ feeling.

At higher doses, it produces psychedelic experiences. 

If too much is taken people can go into what is called a “K-Hole”, described as an intense feeling of being disconnected from one’s own body.

“The bottom line is it's safer not to use drugs,” said Prof Keenan. 

“For those that do harm reduction information is available on drugs.ie and we will have harm reduction tents and volunteers at the festival.” 

He said they have increased the amount of volunteer outreach and the number of harm reduction tents and surrender bins at the festival, moving beyond the main stage area into two campsites — the Jimmy Hendrix campsite and the Janus Joplin campsite.

In all, there will be five surrender bins, compared to two last year, with four of them in the harm reduction tents and a further one in the medical tent.

The samples handed in are typically from potential users in a harm reduction tent who are concerned over a substance or from a user, or more often a friend, who has been brought to the medical tent and put part of the substance or similar into the surrender bin.

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

All samples are tested at the 'back of house' laboratory run by technicians at the National Drug Treatment Centre, where they can identify the substance and its purity.

The HSE collected 133 drug samples at the two smaller festivals this year — 97 at Life and 36 at Body and Soul (also in May in Co Westmeath).

The HSE issued three risk communications in all over the two festivals — for high-strength ketamine, high-strength cocaine, and high-strength MDMA (ecstasy).

They also identified three drugs never detected in Ireland before.

Prof Keenan said gardaí “couldn’t be more supportive” of what they were doing: “They understand what we are trying to do and we understand they have a job to do, but they see the benefits of getting this information out at festivals.” 

He said he had received this backing at the “highest level” in An Garda Síochána, from Assistant Commissioner Justin Kelly.