"N-Bomb" Drug Leaves Six in Hospital

Last Tuesday, six young people, aged 18 to 37, were admitted to hospital after taking a psychoactive substance, called 25I-NBOMe, while at a house party in Cork.The HSE confirmed that emergency services were called to the property on the South side of the city in the early hours of the morning. Gerard Banks, who raised the alarm after hearing "crazy shouting" coming from the house, said the scene inside "was like something from CSI"."The bedroom was covered in blood, walls, floor, bed and even curtains" Banks said. He went on to say that there was a man and woman naked covered in blood, the naked man was smashing up the house and another man was on the floor in cardiac arrest with major breathing problems. "It's really scary stuff and we need to make everyone aware of these dangers" Banks concluded. A gardaí statement said: "A number of young people were admitted to CUH following the ingestion of a psychoactive substance". Specific information about the drugs has not been released, but the HSE believes they were "new psychoactive substances similar to those products previously sold in headshops".According to the HSE, "these drugs can be sold in tablet, powder or liquid form and are consumed at parties or clubs for their stimulant, mood altering and in some cases, aphrodisiac effect". Side effects of the drug can include paranoia, hallucinations, gastrointestinal issues and kidney problems.A teenager remained in critical condition in hospital for several days after the incident but passed away on Saturday the 23rd. The 18 year old from Millstreet, Co. Cork, was one of the six people who took ill after consuming a powdered form of the drug at St. Patrick's Terrace in the Greenmount area of the city. Despite reports that the drug involved was the uncontrolled substance 2C-B, tests carried out by the Forensic Science Laboratory at Garda Headquarters have revealed the drug in question to be 25I-NBOMe, which carries the street name "N-bomb".Cork's RedFM reported that gardaí "came upon a man lying naked on the road in the area". Those who consumed the substance by ingesting it subsequently recovered, however, the 18 year old is understood to have consumed the drug by snorting it and remained critical but stable in the hospital's intensive care unity on Friday night. Authorities have issued a warning, advising people that there is no quality control on these drugs. The warning covers 2CP, 2CB, 2CI and its derivative 25I-NBOMe, which are known by a variety of street names, including N Bomb, Smiles and Solaris.  The HSE's statement concluded that "given the serious side-effects experienced by the young people, the HSE Addiction services are issuing a warning about possible contaminated 'party pills' and advise people not to consume any unknown substances that they are offered at this time".As of Friday night, three of the affected people were still in hospital in a stable condition, one in a critical stable condition and two have been discharged. Dr. Audrey O' Donnell, a forensic scientist at the Garda Headquarters laboratory, stated that the drug has been linked with hospitalisations and deaths in other jurisdictions. "We have seen it in the laboratory about six times since 2010". O' Donnell went on to state that "a tiny amount - an amount you can barely see - would have an effect on the brain". Graham de Barra, writer for TheJournal.ie, commented that the drug issue can no longer be ignored. de Barra went on to write that "the tragic case in Cork is a reminder of the failures in our approach to drugs in responding after-the-fact to emergencies instead of putting in place proactive measures to identify contaminates and high-purity drugs in the market".82% of students have tried illegal drugs in their lifetime, according to the National Student Drug survey, and so it affects people from all walks of life. Gardaí arrested a 29 year old man in relation to the matter in the French's Quay area of Cork City on Wednesday evening. He was brought to the Bridewell Garda station where he was questioned for more than 10 hours before being released without charge. A file is to be prepared for the DPP.