Many drugs are more potent, more affordable and more available this summer. Here’s what you need to know.

Hold up, what’s all this about MDMA? (Asking for a friend.)

Drug-testing organisations have been seeing high-dose MDMA pills around recently. “We’re talking pills that have three to four common doses of MDMA,” says New Zealand Drug Foundation executive director Sarah Helm. “That’s concerning.” A standard dose is 100mg, but they’re seeing much higher levels and more frequently. Higher doses will make a comedown worse, taking a toll on the body and brain. They can also lead to an overdose on stimulants: symptoms include cramps, vomiting, dehydration, anxiety or paranoia. “At the more worrying end, you could have psychosis – seeing or hearing things that aren’t there – seizures or suicidal ideation.” High-dose MDMA can also react with serotonergic substances like antidepressants, increasing your risk of serotonin syndrome – the effects of that range from agitation and diarrhoea through to fever and seizures.

Yikes.

Right? Their drug-checking clinics can only estimate how much MDMA is in a pill. “There’s often big differences between pills and the MDMA might not be mixed evenly into the filler ingredients.” Helm likens it to a chocolate chip cookie. “One side of a cookie might have more chocolate chips than the other side, and similarly one part of your pill might contain more MDMA.” Because it’s illegal, there’s no formalised quality control for MDMA. Pills with the same colour and design might not contain the same ingredients – that’s due to pill presses being reused. “We’ve seen different doses, or even different drugs, in identical-looking pills from month to month.” Pills are also more likely to contain binders, fillers and other drugs – 13% of the MDMA checked by NZDF recently wasn’t as expected.

And what else is out there at the moment that I – sorry, my mate – should be aware of?

Around one in 10 samples that drug-testing organisation KnowYourStuffNZ sees are “not as expected”. They’ve found new ketamine analogues with unknown potency and effects, and dangerous substitutions for methamphetamine. Synthetic opioids like nitazenes and orphines, while not detected regularly, “continue to be a large concern” for KnowYourStuffNZ, says general manager Casey Spearin. “As a country we are very underprepared for a large influx of these substance types.” Several days ago nitazene was found in a fake oxycodone tablet in Wellington. “It is not unusual for counterfeit pharmaceuticals to be sold in blister packs, so people shouldn’t assume something is safe even if it is packaged like a legitimate medication.” Etomidate (a drug used in general anaesthetic) has been found in illegal vapes.

Summers always see a range of drug adulteration; synthetic cathinones (AKA bath salts) have been sold as MDMA recently, according to Helm. “If you’re planning on taking drugs this summer, be aware that your drugs might not be what you think they are. They could be mixed with something else, or they could be another drug entirely,” she advises. “Drug checking is a free, legal and confidential way to find out what’s in your drugs.”

And how would one go about getting one’s drugs tested?

Good question. Spearin walked us through it. “When you visit us, whether at a city clinic or a festival, our front-of-house staff will greet you and ask you if you have a sample to drop off.” They’ll give you a run-through of what happens and take you to the intake station, where volunteers collect some details about your sample and take a small amount (around 15mg) for testing. “You keep the rest of your sample and take away a card with your sample number on it – you will need this later to pick up your results.”

Nervous about narks or the cops? Spearin says that’s totally normal, but not to worry; they operate within the law, and people are “fully covered, legally” when getting drugs tested. “As per the legislation, your presence at a drug checking clinic can’t be used as evidence against you.”

Use of the service and test results are not admissible in civil or criminal proceedings. 

But they understand why people are concerned. “After all, the drug-checking legislation is a tiny island of safety in the wider MoDA [Misuse of Drugs Act] which criminalises drug use. However, we have a great relationship with the police, who are supportive of drug checking and understand the importance of our service, so they know to keep a wide berth around our services.” 

(KnowYourStuffNZ does advise practising some caution when taking substances for testing, like taking a small amount to the clinic and not taking your bag out on the street. Commonsense stuff.)

OK, any other news I need to know?

Acid is worth going slow on. The Drug Foundation is aware of LSD tabs that were stronger than people expected, resulting in harm. Helm notes that, as with pills, one tab doesn’t always mean one dose. “We’ve also had a recent report of pink pills being sold as oxycodone, but they actually contain a mix of a benzodiazepine and a synthetic opioid.” That combination is “significantly” more potent and has a higher risk of harm and overdose. They’re also hearing of negative experiences with GHB and GBL, stemming from opacity around which “G” is being taken; taking a GHB-sized dose of GBL “could cause an overdose”.

New Zealanders also appear to be taking more substances. “Data shows a trend of increased and more diversified drug use over the last decade, which shows a real need for an increase in support and harm reduction,” says Helm. “Of particular concern, we’ve recently seen big increases in methamphetamine and cocaine use.” Both are cheaper and more available than ever. Consumption of meth doubled in the space of a year, according to an October 2025 survey by Massey University’s Shore and Whāriki Research Centre, while the price is half what it was eight years ago. Cocaine use has surged – up 229%, according to some studies.

Any other tips for m….y friend?

“Don’t assume that one pill = one dose,” says Helm. “Especially if it’s your first time taking MDMA, start with a smaller dose and wait to feel the effects before taking more.” Mixing alcohol with MDMA can mask the effects of each substance. She advises drinking a glass of water every hour or so and keeping an eye out for symptoms of overheating. “Drug harm over summer is often compounded by things like dehydration and heatstroke.” And if you’re really concerned, go to the ER. “They can give you something that could help.”

New Zealand’s drug market fluctuates. “It changes region to region, event to event, year to year, or even week to week,” says Spearin. “It only takes one dealer to turn up at a festival and start deceptively, or unknowingly, selling people ‘MDMA’ which actually contains something more harmful. So the takeaway is please check your drugs.” It’s also worth following High Alert, a national “early warning system for dodgy drugs” circulating in Aotearoa.