Festival fans warned over pink powders and high-strength drugs

As thousands of music fans look forward to summer festivals, health experts have warned of the dangers of taking new drugs known as "pink powders". The drugs are also sometimes referred to as "pink cocaine" but according to Northern Ireland's Public Health Agency (PHA) the powders rarely contain cocaine. In reality, the powders are often a mix of very high-strength MDMA, ketamine and other substances. "We really want to highlight to people - if it's pink, stop and think," said Dr Denise O'Hagan from the PHA. She explained that consuming a mix of different drugs in unknown quantities is particularly risky and can have lethal consequences. O'Hagan pointed out there were 251 drug-related deaths in Northern Ireland last year and in many of those cases, the deceased had consumed a mix of substances. "Now, that was spread throughout the year [among] all age groups and all sorts of events - it certainly wasn't all linked to festivals," she acknowledged. But she added that when people consume a combination various substances, including taking drugs with alcohol, then "that's when these dangers arise". With a host of upcoming summer festivals across the island of Ireland, the PHA worked wit