Story perspectives

Trimbos Issues Red Alert Over Trump-Shaped PMMA Pills

8/30/2026

Summary

Police Investigate Pills

Police Scotland investigated turquoise Trump pills after an 18-year-old woman died in January 2024.
Public Health Scotland issued a red alert on drug trends after the death.
The turquoise Trump tablets contain MDMA, which are potentially lethal.
The Trimbos Institute in the Netherlands found the Trump-shaped pills contain a very high amount of PMMA.
In 2023 three 18-year-old teenagers died after taking similar pills at Glasgow’s SWG3 nightclub.

Summary

Trimbos Issues Alert

The Trimbos Institute issued a Red Alert urging users never to take the Trump-shaped pills.
Its national testing network includes 12 organisations and 34 drug-checking sites across the Netherlands.
Trimbos warned that PMMA’s delayed onset can lead users to redose, increasing overdose risk.
No deaths or serious health incidents have been linked to the Trump pills in the Netherlands.
Users may submit substances to Trimbos centres for analysis before consumption.

History

Historical Context

In 1995 a UK ecstasy surge caused 30 deaths and a Home Office study that 12 % of seized tablets contained the lethal PMMA analogue, prompting tighter MDMA regulations; the action built on generic-definition clauses added to the Misuse of Drugs Act from 1977 and was expanded by the 2016 Psychoactive Substances Act, which now underpins Scottish alerts on PMMA-containing pills.

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Police Investigate Pills

Police Scotland investigated turquoise Trump pills after an 18-year-old woman died in January 2024.
Public Health Scotland issued a red alert on drug trends after the death.
The turquoise Trump tablets contain MDMA, which are potentially lethal.
The Trimbos Institute in the Netherlands found the Trump-shaped pills contain a very high amount of PMMA.
In 2023 three 18-year-old teenagers died after taking similar pills at Glasgow’s SWG3 nightclub.

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