To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Ireland Has The Highest Proportion Of MDMA Users In The World

Ireland Has The Highest Proportion Of MDMA Users In The World

The data comes from 120,000 people.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

The recently released Global Drug Survey has been a treasure trove of information relating to the way people around the world use different substances. The data is based on nearly 120,000 user submissions from 50 countries

One of the things it highlights is the use of MDMA, and who loves to pop pingers or snort lines the most.

It appears the Emerald Isle comes out on top with people using the drug for nearly 15 days across the year.

The 40 percent of respondents who admitted to taking the drug in the last year is also much lower than the 58 percent noted in the 2016 survey.

Ireland was followed close behind by Scotland at 14.5 days, England and Wales with 11.8 and Colombia on 11.7 days of usage. The global average is nine days.

Read More:

It appears that the Irish are split between taking the drug in a pill or capsule form as well as in crystal or powdered form.

That's in stark contrast to Australia - where three quarters of respondents preferred a pill or cap. On the other side of the scale - only 7.7 percent of Italians ingest MDMA that way and would rather crystals or powder.

via GIPHY

Mixmag reports that pills in Ireland sell for an average of €7.10 while a gram of powder costs €46.50.

The survey found that men and women above the age of 25 were more likely than their younger counterparts test out their pill by initially taking a half or a quarter.

Out of nearly 120,000 respondents, 25,000 were MDMA users. The report notes that for every 1,000 uses, one would result in a visit to the hospital for emergency treatment.

Dr Adam R Winstock, Founder and Managing Director of the Global Drug Survey, said: "I do agree that for most people on most occasions, MDMA is not a hugely risky drug accepting of course that over 50 people per year have died from MDMA in the UK for last 3 years.

"While the determinants of MDMA risk are many it pretty much comes down to the interaction between the person, the amount and types of drugs they take and what they do when they use.

"Among the most important things are dose, overheating and under and over watering."

via GIPHY

Funnily enough, despite MDMA being illegal in Ireland, it was legalised for a very brief moment in 2015. A Court of Appeal found that changes being made to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 unconstitutionally.

For about 12 hours, it meant that drugs like ecstasy and magic mushrooms were technically classified as legal, until the government managed to pass emergency legislation.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: MDMA, Drugs