MDMA warnings issued in Manchester following deaths of two women

A warning has been issued about the safety of both powder and pill-form MDMA currently in circulation around Manchester following the deaths of two women.

Two women, both believed to have taken MDMA in powder-form, died earlier this month in separate incidents, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority's (GMCA) confirmed on October 23. The fatalities occurred within the same week.

Manchester-based drug analysis lab MANDRAKE has now issued a warning, calling on anyone who feels unwell when taking the drug to seek medical attention.

“The causes of these tragic deaths have yet to be established,” they said in a statement, penned by the Greater Manchester Drug Alert Panel. “No drugs involved in the incidents have been tested.”

They added that it’s currently unknown whether the deaths are linked, but said that a batch of MDMA samples seized in the Manchester area have now been tested.

“[They] show a wide range of purities, from 4% to 77%, but do not indicate contamination with other substances,” they confirmed. “With such variable purity drugs in circulation, it is impossible to accurately gauge the dose of MDMA you are taking.”

The Greater Manchester Drug Alert Panel also added that 78 people died from taking MDMA in the UK last year – half of which were from taking the party drug alone without other substances.

Advice on how to stay safe when taking MDMA has been issued. Read it below, and check out our safety tips for protecting yourself from super-strength ecstasy here.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor, follow her on Twitter