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A NEW CAMPAIGN targeted at students aims to reduce the risks associated with pill-taking.
The ‘What’s in the Pill?’ campaign, which is being launched at 2pm today in Dublin’s Mansion House, warns students to think more carefully about drug use, particularly if they intend to take pills like ecstasy.
The initiative is the brainchild of Dublin’s Ana Liffey Drug Project, which has worked with Trinity College Dublin, UCD and DIT to produce resources including posters and factsheets that will be distributed across all three campuses.
It is the first time a drug service has worked with Irish universities to develop and distribute drug-related resources aimed at students.
One of the major risks associated with ecstasy, according to Ana Liffey director Tony Duffin, is that it is often sold as PMMA, a cheaper and more easily available drug that can take longer to kick in.
The danger posed by PMMA, a far more lethal substance than ecstasy, came to public attention last summer following a number of deaths and hospitalisations linked to the drug.
“It’s not possible to tell what’s in a pill by sight, smell or taste,” Duffin said.
While PMA and PMMA are widely known substances which are commonly found in what is sold as ecstasy, there are many others which are not so well known.
Advice
The campaign warns students not to assume they have dud pills if they don’t “come up” as quickly as expected.
“Wait two hours. Some drugs take longer to take effect that others,” a factsheet produced by Ana Liffey says.
Students are advised, if they do plan on taking pills, to never mix drugs with alcohol or “double drop” (take two tablets at the same time).
If dancing, the factsheet recommends that you rehydrate with water or isotonic drinks, and take regular breaks.
It also advises that taking a half pill is less dangerous than a full one, though smaller doses can also be risky.
Student experience
According to a nationwide survey published in September, nearly half of students had taken ecstasy, also known as MDMA, in the past 12 months.
The National Student Drugs Survey found that about 44% of 2,700 respondents had used some form of MDMA, compared to 38% in a global drug survey released three months previously.
For most students, drug use is recreational, linked to special occasions.
One DCU student, who asked not to be named, said he had taken ecstasy “about five or six times” in the past.
“I generally buy it from a friend, who would usually have their own dealer,” he said.
The dealer is usually a mate of theirs, and would have taken it themselves and passed on tips, like ‘only take a half one’ or ‘it’ll take you a while to come up’.
“It’s not a flawless system,” he added, “but I know never to take two [pills] at once and I’ve never personally had any negative side effects.”
A Trinity College Dublin student, who also wanted to remain anonymous, told TheJournal.ie that she began taking pills during her first year of college
“I’d take one every few weeks, usually when I’m going out to a club,” she said.
If I’m getting them from a dealer I don’t know, I tend to check if there have been any warnings online [about the particular drug].
Pragmatic focus
Daniel Kirby of Students for Sensible Drug Policy Ireland, one of several student representatives to have commended the campaign, said students should be educated about the risks associated with drugs.
If someone is going to take ecstasy, it’s important that they know what they’re doing. It makes sense to acknowledge that people do take drugs and try to reduce the risk.
In a statement welcoming the initiative, Lord Mayor of Dublin Críona Ní Dhálaigh said it will promote ”an important message, with a pragmatic focus – that it is always safest not to use drugs at all, but if you do choose to do so, that it is vital to have access to unbiased, evidence based information”.
Drugs Minister Aodhán O’Ríordáin also praised the campaign, saying it was “informed by evidence”.
“Drug use is a health issue, which affects all strata of society and it is important to make sure that people have the information they need to make healthy choices,” he said.
Visit www.drugs.ie/whatsinthepill for further information.
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Did I just read this..jasyus I did…I did need to get out more..but nobody has ever explained to me why Broccoli goes cold as soon as you cook it..I’ve never had hot Broccoli yet..
@sparky: Broccoli has a very high surface area per unit weight compared to other veg. This high surface area allows for higher rates of heat transfer to occur between the broccoli and the air. The stems of the broccoli are also a lot less dense than other vegetables too so heat transfer occurs more rapidly for that reason as well.
@sparky: always preheat your plate.
Another valuable scientific endeavour….
Thank God for religion, that’s all I can say.
Stephen Hawking must be glad he is still alive to read this. Good to know scientists have their prioritys right. Serious illnesses & research is not important if shoelaces become undone according to these scientists. This is an insult to scientists everywhere.
@Abcd: If you’d bother to actually read the article you’d see that it does have a serious side in preventing injury.
@Jack Cassady: Guess what Jack… turns out God didn’t do this either…
@Paddy Ryan: My shoelaces have not undone since i was about 6. We where taught too secure all footwear & loose clothing especially near any machinery.
@Abcd: move on to ‘é’ and the rest of the alphabet as soon as you can. Then complete your education, concentrating on logic, but not forgetting reading and comprehension. Then read this article once more. If you do not understand it differently the second time around, you are probably ineducable.
Jasus, this article had me in knots.
Double knot always works for me. Takes2 seconds longer to untie but worth it for one pair of athletic shoes with laces that untie within 10 minutes of tying the knot.
Bunny ears, bunny ears, playing by a tree. Criss-crossed the tree, trying to catch me. Bunny ears, Bunny ears, jumped into the hole, popped out the other side beautiful and bold.”
@Colleen McGovern: what you rabbitin’ on about, Willis?
“…unable to lift his foot off the gas…”
Enough of the Yankisms
Hahaha, yet you use an Americanism in your appeal to eschew a ‘Yankism’!
Enough with the Little Englander mentality. The world uses American English and in Ireland we use, increasingly, American spelling. You can color it whatever way you wish, but the English used in Ireland and in our neighboring island is moving toward the American standard.
Seriously
My guess is it’ll be a combination of vibration from the foot/shoe in normal thread action and the laces swinging. The result of both actions causing the knot to work itself loose.
@Paul Downes: My guess is its explained in the article.
Good on you journal. That’s a fine piece of copy and pasting from a piece of news that was reported on around the globe last week.
So, am I right in thinking a bunch of scientists have basically determined through scientific research that lases come undone because we/i don’t make a proper knot?? Out with lases in with velcro. I think we need a tribunal!
Ah lads, this was solved a long time ago. It’s to do with the direction in which you tie the knot. 3 min video on Ted Talks explains it.
Terry Moore: How to tie your shoes
http://go.ted.com/NQ2rKQ
I kid you knot!!!
Who the hell finds this kind of research ? The scouts ?
#Funds#
Jesus these lads are busy
have your say