DEADLY DRUG WARNING!

A new killer drug is sweeping the UK, causing death and destruction wherever it takes hold. The research chemical, HydromethOxyAnciliaXanthane (or HOAX for short), is being sold as round red tablets with a fishbone logo imprinted on one side. Known on the street as ‘Red Herrings’ the drug was first developed by the news media to scare the pants off parents. In the latest development, the drug is now being force-fed to a gullible public by hacks desperate for a news fix to stave off the withdrawal symptoms after a disastrous lack of rioting across the country in recent days.

One journalist, who refused to be named, whined “It was fantastic when the riots began. We could loop video clips of people breaking the same shop window until it kicked off all over the place. Pretty soon we were gorging on mass hysteria and righteous indignation. Then, just as quickly as it had arrived – poof! – it was gone. Now look at us. We’ve resorted to scraping the bottom of the newsroom barrel to cobble together scraps of old stories, just to get by.”

The authorities have warned, “This is a dangerous new development in the War On Drugs. Our advice is, don’t buy it. And whatever you do, don’t swallow it!”

But seriously, folks…

What the hell is being sold, and consumed, out there? Nobody knows for sure. In recent weeks there has been a ketamine drought, so many people are necking tablets of dubious content.

What has hit the headlines today on Merseyside is the death by a ‘new drug’ PMA. A coroner has reported that a 29 year-old man died after taking a ‘fatal concentration’ of PMA (plus a cocktail of alcohol and cocaine). Despite this terrible tragedy, the media has jumped all over this story to warn of the dangers of taking drugs. But lazy journalism obscures the real issue of the risks of taking anything on the say-so of a dealer – “Got any PMA?” “Sure. What colour d’ya want?”

PMA, or PMMA, is Para-Methoxy-Meth-Amphetamine, a member of the amphetamine (speed) family, as is ecstasy (Methylene-Dioxy-Meth-Amphetamine or MDMA). So the effects – and risks - are similar.

PMA has been implicated in a number of deaths in Canada (in1973), Australia (six in1997) and the USA. Most PMA deaths have been in users who have taken tablets sold as "ecstasy". The first case of death from PMA in the UK was reported in 2002. An ‘active dose’ is between 50mg and 80mg – one tablet. Taking more than one tablet increases the risk of death.

Click here for PMA/PMMA guidance and advice