At three Australian music festivals in 2022/2023, blood samples from 24 critically ill patrons revealed that unreported illicit drugs or new psychoactive substances were detected in 18 patients. Among these, methylamphetamine was found in 10 patients, cathinones in 7, and benzodiazepine-type new psychoactive substances in 6. The most frequently reported and detected drugs were MDMA, ketamine, and cocaine. The toxicosurveillance network provides additional intelligence for harm reduction, aiming to identify high-risk drug use patterns and inform evidence-based messaging.
A 32-year-old man experienced multi-system toxicity after eating a single gummy sold as a THC product, which actually contained hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), a semi-synthetic cannabinoid. Within 1.5 hours he developed nausea, vomiting, slurred speech, whole-body numbness, inability to move his head, a dissociative state, rapid heart rate (118 bpm), dilated pupils, confusion, and rapid breathing (24 breaths per minute). No other drugs were detected. Symptoms resolved within eight hours with supportive care. HHC can be manufactured from cannabidiol and is rapidly absorbed, crosses the blood-brain barrier, and is metabolized in the liver. This case highlights the dangers of unregulated cannabis products.