Even if you know exactly what you’re taking, drug use is never safe — that said, it’s much safer when you do.

Through the work of organisations such as WEDINOS, The Loop, and DanceSafe, we know a little more about the drugs in circulation. The report provided below is a summary of their findings over the last week.* This report is primarily UK-focused and couldn’t possibly cover everything, so if you find something I’ve missed please contact me and we’ll get it updated.

The absence of a product from this list doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be there; you might have something more dangerous than anything listed, but it just hasn’t been reported yet. A vital tool for any drug user is a testkit, which allows you to identify roughly what is actually in your stash. You can find them at https://www.reagent-tests.uk and get additional support from the helpful community at https://www.reddit.com/r/ReagentTesting/ .

Final note: This report does not constitute medical advice. Some harm-reduction tips are offered for those who have already taken the compound, but if in doubt seek medical attention.

Warning: Mislabelled substance

Substance: Clonazolam

Sold as: Alprazolam (Xanax)

Location: Reading

Advice: as the primary difference between these substances is dose range, most risk comes from the unreliable doses in these low-quality pills. Otherwise, normal Xanax guidelines apply. Avoid alcohol and try not to do anything silly.

Source: http://www.wedinos.org/db/samples/ (Sample W008528)

Alprazolam info: https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Alprazolam

Clonazolam info: https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Clonazolam

Warning: Mislabelled substance

Substance: m-CPP, metoclopramide and domperidone

Sold as: MDMA

Location: Tested in Zurich

Advice: These will likely have minimal psychoactive effect, and for most users the only effects will be gastric distress and headache. Avoid taking any more.

Source: https://www.saferparty.ch/tl_files/images/download/file/Warnungen_PDF_2018/m-CPP_anstatt_MDMA_September_2018.pdf

MDMA info: https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/MDMA

m-CPP info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta-Chlorophenylpiperazine

Metoclopramide info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metoclopramide

Domperidone info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domperidone

Warning type: High dose — 224mg

Substance: MDMA

Location: Tested in Zurich

Advice: Avoid redosing, stay cool and maintain adequate hydration. Many users will dehydrate through sweat, but sweating also sheds electrolytes and some users have suffered from hyponatremia from drinking only water to replenish themselves. If possible, find a sports drink like Lucozade or, if no other solutions are available, add a pinch of salt to the occasional glass of water.

Source: https://www.saferparty.ch/tl_files/images/download/file/Warnungen_PDF_2018/MDMA_extrem_hoch_September_2018_Bert.pdf

MDMA info: https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/MDMA

Warning type: High dose, 215mg

Substance: MDMA

Location: Tested in Zurich

Advice: Avoid redosing, stay cool and maintain adequate hydration. Many users will dehydrate through sweat, but sweating also sheds electrolytes and some users have suffered from hyponatremia from drinking only water to replenish themselves. If possible, find a sports drink like Lucozade or, if no other solutions are available, add a pinch of salt to the occasional glass of water.

Source: https://www.saferparty.ch/tl_files/images/download/file/Warnungen_PDF_2018/MDMA_extrem_hoch_September_2018_Ernie.pdf

MDMA info: https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/MDMA

*Warnings are also released by local police forces, in-house testing at festivals, and by users at https://pillreports.net. These warnings are, however, are unquantified and often unreliable so they are given less weight.