Trimbos Institute issued a Red Alert warning over ecstasy pills designed to look like U.S. President Donald Trump. (Trimbos Institute)
Ecstasy pills designed to look like U.S. President Donald Trump spurred a "Red Alert" warning from a Dutch drug addiction and mental health institute that is worried the drug could be deadly.
Big picture view:
Trimbos Institute posted pictures of the pills. The pills featured the president’s face on the front, while the back had "NL" and "Trump" separated by a horizontal line. One of the pills appeared to have a green face, with the reverse side being red. The other pill was yellow on the front and blue on the back.
Timeline:
The institute explained the pills were discovered when users brought them to a center that will test the drugs before they are taken. The pills were found to have PMMA, or para-methoxymethamphetamine, a chemical that is similar to the active ingredient in ecstasy, MDMA.
Dig deeper:
The effects of PMMA take longer to be felt than those from MDMA, the Trimbos Institute explained. That could cause a person who took them to feel like the drug was not working well and lead to them taking more. Doing so could lead to an overdose, it added, saying flatly, "Absolutely do not use these pills."
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No severe illnesseses or deaths have been reported in connection with the use of the drug, a spokesperson for the agency, Anniek Groothuis said.
The backstory:
While ecstasy is illegal in the Netherlands, the drug is common in the European nation, especially as part of the club and music festival scene. One government report estimated that more than a half-million people took ecstasy over the course of a year.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from the Trimbos Institute and The Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.