Ecstasy is just as cheap but twice as strong as it was 10 years ago

A typical ecstasy pill is now twice as strong as it was in 2005, despite the fact the price of a pill has barely changed in the same period.

This is according to research by the Trimbos Institute in the Netherlands, which has revealed that tests last year showed that the average ecstasy pill contained an average of 150mg of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) compared to an average of 81mg in 2005. The tests also revealed that some ecstasy pills contained 3.5 times more MDMA than the 2005 average, but despite the increased strength, the cost of an ecstasy pill has remained at approximately £3 in that period. The use of ecstasy became hugely popular during the early 1990s, but use of the drug had waned until a revival in recent years: the UK is one of the world's biggest consumers of the drug, on average.     The news comes after the tragic death last weekend of a 17-year old girl who died after what's believed to be an adverse reaction to a version of the drug labelled ‘Mastercard’ at a rave in Manchester.