Organisers in warning as danger drug is discovered

THE organisers of the Pride festival have issued an urgent warning over a rare synthetic drug similar to M-Cat.

Organisers of the four-day extravaganza issued an alert on their official Twitter feed, saying: “WARNING! Harmful MMMP (Caccure 907) sold as crystal MDMA.

“MMMP is a potentially toxic substance. TAKE CARE! If unwell see medics.”

Pride refused to elaborate any further on the warning, but sources have told the M.E.N. that some of the drug was discovered during this weekend’s festival, which finishes tonight.

Drug-testing isn’t in place at Pride festival this year.

However, charity The Loop, who carry out voluntary drug-testing at events up and down the country, say they first encountered MMMP at festivals in July last year. It is from the same family of drugs as Mephedrone or M-Cat, and there are fears it could be mistaken for MDMA or Ecstasy as it looks almost identical.

A spokeswoman for The Loop say possible side effects include overheating, elevated heart rate and mental health issues such as agitation or paranoia.

The risk of adverse effects increase when people take it in large doses, re-dose too quickly or mix it with other drugs and alcohol, they added.

Drug safety has been high on Manchester Pride’s agenda in recent years, with a similar warning issued after two people taken ill at the festival in 2016 after taking super-strength ‘Green Rolex’ ecstasy pills.