A Dutch drug addiction and mental health institute has issued a "red alert" concerning ecstasy pills shaped like the head of U.S. President Donald Trump, warning they contain a "very high" amount of the chemical PMMA that could be lethal.
The Utrecht-based Trimbos Institute reported that several of these pills were submitted to testing centers in August and found to contain para-methoxymethamfetamine (PMMA), a substance similar to MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy.
"Do not use this pill under any circumstance," the institute stated in its warning. It cautioned that the drug could cause "overheating with potentially fatal consequences." The institute also noted that PMMA has a delayed effect compared to MDMA, often lacking the stimulating sensation, which increases the risk of overdose.
Users who ingest the pills may experience symptoms such as nausea, an increased heart rate, and convulsions hours after consumption. The Trimbos Institute spokesperson Anniek Groothuis told the Associated Press that there have been no reported deaths or serious illnesses linked to the pills thus far.
While ecstasy is illegal in the Netherlands, a 2024 Dutch government report indicated that the substance remains popular as a party drug, with approximately 550,000 people having used it at least once in 2022.
This is not the first instance of ecstasy pills being manufactured in the likeness of Donald Trump. In 2017, German police confiscated around 5,000 orange ecstasy tablets shaped like the former president's head, which were reportedly marketed online with the slogan "Trump makes partying great again."