{
  "id": 4178469,
  "title": "Trump-shaped ecstasy pills can be fatal, Dutch drug institute warns",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/trump-shaped-ecstasy-pills-can-be-fatal-dutch-drug-institute-warns",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-29T11:31:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Politico EU",
    "slug": "politico-eu",
    "url": "https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-shaped-ecstasy-pills-can-be-fatal-dutch-drug-institute-warns/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Dutch drug institute has warned that ecstasy pills shaped like the head of U.S. President Donald Trump may be fatal and should not be consumed. The Trimbos Institute issued a red alert on Friday, noting that the pills come in various colors, feature the words \"Trump\" and \"NL,\" and are stamped with the president's image. Anniek Groothuis, a spokesperson for the institute, stated that multiple drug-testing locations have received these pills. These pills contain a high amount of para-methoxymethamphetamine, or PMMA, which is a more dangerous substance than MDMA, the active ingredient in traditional ecstasy pills. PMMA can cause symptoms like nausea, increased heart rate, convulsions, and dangerously high body temperatures, which can lead to fatal overheating. Although no deaths or serious illnesses have been reported so far, the institute emphasizes that consuming these pills under any circumstances is highly dangerous. Notably, President Trump has a known aversion to drugs, famously describing cocaine as \"down and dirty\" in a 2024 election interview with podcaster Theo Von.",
  "summary": "The tablets are shaped like the U.S. commander-in-chief’s head, researchers say.",
  "key_points": [
    "Dutch drug institute issues red alert on Trump-shaped ecstasy pills",
    "Pills contain high amount of dangerous PMMA substance",
    "No deaths reported yet, but consumption highly dangerous"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}