MDMA – the current situation in Europe (European Drug Report 2023)

MDMA is a synthetic drug chemically related to the amphetamines, but with somewhat different effects. In Europe, MDMA use has generally been associated with episodic patterns of consumption in the context of nightlife and entertainment settings. On this page, you can find the latest analysis of the drug situation for MDMA in Europe, including prevalence of use, seizures, price and purity and more. 

This page is part of the European Drug Report 2023, the EMCDDA's annual overview of the drug situation in Europe.

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Last update: 16 June 2023

User awareness of MDMA product strength remains a concern

MDMA is a synthetic drug chemically related to the amphetamines, but with somewhat different effects. In Europe, MDMA use has generally been associated with episodic patterns of consumption in the context of nightlife and entertainment settings. Reported use of the drug appeared to decline temporarily during periods of social distancing during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. The currently available data would, however, suggest an overall relatively stable level of consumption but with national variations in the recent trends observed and the caveat that overall supply side indicators are suggestive of a slight recent decline in availability. About half of the European cities reporting wastewater analysis found an increase in MDMA residues between 2021 and 2022, although in most other cities some decline was noted.

Overall, available indicators suggest that MDMA production continues within Europe, both for domestic consumption and for export to non-EU markets. The information available is strongly suggestive that most MDMA production continues to be largely concentrated in or around the Netherlands. There are some signs of a reduction in the volume being manufactured in the most recent data. An important caveat here is that this information mostly covers the first years of the pandemic and needs to be interpreted with caution. The number of MDMA laboratories dismantled in the European Union decreased in 2021 compared with 2020, while seizures of precursor chemicals for manufacturing MDMA increased in 2021. In 2021, the quantity of MDMA tablets seized in the European Union declined by a quarter and the quantity of MDMA powder seized declined slightly. In addition, while overall the average MDMA content of tablets and purity of powders remained stable in 2021, a recent decrease in the MDMA content of ecstasy tablets was noted in some important source countries, most notably the Netherlands.

With a typical MDMA content of 150 to 170 milligrams, the overall strength of tablets available on the retail marketplace still remains high by historical standards. It is difficult to interpret the more recent data with any certainty, but a possible decline in production volumes and some reductions noted in MDMA tablet content may indicate that producers have experienced greater problems sourcing precursor chemicals or that some producers may have switched to producing other substances, either because of market demand or because they are more profitable. It may also reflect a perceived consumer demand for lower-strength products.

The use of MDMA is rarely cited as a reason for entering drug treatment in Europe but acute poisonings and deaths are sometimes associated with the consumption of this substance. The use of MDMA therefore continues to represent an important issue for prevention and harm reduction messaging and interventions.

The availability of higher strength products potentially increases the risk of adverse health outcomes associated with the consumption of this substance. Interestingly, a decline in MDMA-related presentations by a quarter was observed in sentinel hospital emergency departments with data for 2020 and 2021. This data set, however, is difficult to interpret in respect to overall trends, as it is not nationally representative, has limited coverage and may reflect either changes in consumption or reporting during the pandemic.

While it is again difficult to generalise due to limitations in national and European coverage, the available information from drug checking services suggests that MDMA products are generally less subject to adulteration than other illicit drugs they screened in 2021. This does occur however, as illustrated by the inclusion of synthetic cathinones in MDMA tablets observed on some occasions. These sorts of mixtures may also increase the risk to consumers of experiencing unexpected adverse effects and potential harm.

Key data and trends

Source data

The data used to generate infographics and charts on this page may be found below.

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