The UK has been experiencing an MDMA shortage and according to experts, the “drought” can be traced back to COVID-19, Brexit and the subsequent disruptions to supply lines, as mixmag reports.
It’s thought the recent reduction in Heavy Goods Vehicles transporting items across the UK has also had an effect on the distribution of the substance.
Speaking to the Metro, Niamh Eastwood, executive director of drugs charity Release, explained that the shortage “could certainly be a result of the reduction of HGVs carrying goods in from Europe, where illegal goods would usually be concealed amongst legal products, and where suppliers have prioritised getting in more lucrative drugs, such as cocaine and heroin.”
Indeed, since England is currently one of the only European countries in which clubs are open, MDMA producers in the Netherlands – the main manufacturing area— may not see the industry as profitable enough until festivals and clubs return on their usual scale.
Eastwood continued: “Like many other goods that are imported into the UK, we are seeing the supply chain for some illicit substances affected, although as this is an unregulated market it is hard to pin it down… and it is likely the result of a number of different factors.”
The difficulties in accessing MDMA have led to a rise of fake alternatives at clubs and festivals in the UK. Read more here.
