Following a number of deaths from MDMA (ecstasy or "molly" in its powdered form), publication The Economist has posed a radical solution: free testing. A government organization in the Netherlands already offers pill-testing to ravers and EDM attendees at electronic music shows, and those who engage in the service aren't subject to prosecution. The idea is to stem the number of hospitalizations and deaths tied to the drugs, but The Netherlands is far less conservative than the United States and the U.K., where a majority of the recent molly-deaths have occurred.
Manchester's Warehouse Project, which had one concertgoer die and five others hospitalized last week, is trying a new method, not as open as that of the Dutch, but still capable of preventing deaths. When security personnel confiscate contraband from attendees, pills will be tested on the spot to ensure that it isn't a dangerous counterfeit. If the pill does turn out to be a problem, officials can send out social media alarms alerting attendees that certain pills have proven hazardous.
Ecstasy and its knockoffs come in different "brands," or imprints stamped on the top of the pill. Saving a buck has made some EDM fans more willing to shell out less for possible knockoffs. A green pill bearing a Rolex logo has been responsible for several deaths in the UK this year. If security can alert concertgoers to issues with a particular "brand," they can hopefully prevent additional casualties. Still, the plan requires attendees to check their social media during a concert in order to be fully functional. It's certainly a start however.
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