Donald Trump ecstasy pills spark health scare: ‘These are very dangerous’
New ecstasy pills shaped like Donald Trump’s head are circulating around the Netherlands.
The pills were submitted to a testing centre belonging to the country’s Drugs Information and Monitoring System (DIMS).
The drugs, which were seen in a range of colours, have the US president’s signature hairstyle and pout.
On the back, his surname can be seen along with the letters NL – a common abbreviation for the Netherlands.
The Trimbos Institute, which runs the DIMS, said the drug has a ‘very high amount’ of para-methoxymethamphetamine (PMMA).
This is a substance that has a similar structure to the party drug MDMA. As such, it can have similar euphoric effects when ingested.
But unlike MDMA, the time it takes a user to feel the effects is longer. According to the Alcohol and Drugs Foundation, this can lead to users taking more than they should, believing that the first dose hasn’t worked.
In some cases, this can lead to a significant overdose which can be fatal.
The drugs, which were seen in a range of colours, have the US president’s signature hairstyle and pout
PMMA has caused deaths across the world since it started making its way into party pills in the 1970s. The UK saw a spike in PMMA-related deaths in 2012 and 2013.
In the US, PMMA was implicated in a series of deaths among people who believed they were taking MDMA in the early 2010s, but an exact figure on PMMA-related injuries and fatalities is not known.
The drug is a Schedule 1, Class A drug in the UK. Possession can lead to a seven-year sentence and an unlimited fine, while supplying it can lead to life in prison and an unlimited fine.
Similarly, in the US, PMMA is also a Schedule I controlled substance, as classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
In 2024, police were investigating whether a batch of ‘super-strength’ ecstasy tablets in the shape of Donald Trump’s face may have been involved in the 2023 deaths of three teenagers at a popular Glasgow nightclub.
The ‘Trump pills’ were recovered by security staff from the SWG3 club in Glasgow in August 2023.
Scott Allison and Marcus Dick, both 18, died after attending a dance event at the venue that summer.
An 18-year-old woman also died in January 2024 after partying at SWG3 on New Year’s Eve – with drugs similarly suspected as being the cause.
A report published by Public Health Scotland that year included a red alert on drug trends issued by Police Scotland.
The turquoise Trump pills, which contain MDMA, were identified as potential killers.
