Police Issue Fake Ecstasy Warning To Clubbers After Tests Show Pills Contain Dental Anaesthetic
Police in Scotland have urged clubbers to avoid taking pills after it was revealed that tablets containing a powerful dental anaesthetic are being sold as ecstasy.
Police warned that tablets containing benzocaine, a form of anaesthetic, which is commonly used in dentistry to prevent patients from feeling pain, could contribute to very serious and life-threatening complications. When used in large quantities, the anaesthetic can cause seizures, breathing difficulties and even death.
Often referred to as ‘benzo’, benzocaine is also found in sunburn and sore throat remedies and it is available to buy online on the proviso that it is used for legal medical purposes. It is illegal to buy benzocaine if it is not being used for medical use.
The British Dental Association has urged clubbers and party-goers not to risk their lives by dabbling with pills, which may contain dangerous bulking agents. A spokeswoman for the BDA said that in the wrong hands, benzocaine can cause irregular heartbeat and palpitations and even respiratory failure.
Police say that a growing number of people are being admitted to hospital with symptoms, which have developed as a result of taking pills at parties and on nights out. A spokesman for Police Scotland said that the problem of casual drug taking is increasingly worrying and more and more people are being admitted to hospital with symptoms ranging from diarrhoea and sickness to blackouts, heart palpitations and loss of consciousness.
Alistair Bohm, from drug rehabilitation charity, Addaction, said that benzocaine was all the more potent when mixed with alcohol and as many of the people who take drugs at parties are also drinking, this is a major concern. The main issue with benzocaine is that it suppresses the body’s ability to use a gag reflex and this increases the risk of choking on vomit. It can also result in the heart shutting down in extreme cases.
Police have issued warnings in light of the death of 17 year old, Rachel MacColl, who died in Glasgow recently; police believe that her death was linked to a brand of ecstasy tablets known as Mortal Kombat.
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