Teenager in critical condition after PMA overdose

A mass overdose on ‘Dr Death’ at a Melbourne dance rave leads to calls for clearer warnings when toxic batches hit the streets.

An image from the Festival Hall rave party at the weekend.

Pressure is mounting for clearer warnings about dangerous drugs on Victorian streets after police said they would not investigate a mass overdose at a rave party ­unless someone died.

An 18-year-old man remains in a critical condition 48 hours after nine people who overdosed on pills containing para-Methoxyamphetamine, also known as PMA, “Death” or “Dr Death”, at a West Melbourne rave were rushed to hospital.

Victoria Police said they would not comment on the incident at Festival Hall and referred The Australian to Ambulance Victoria. A spokesman for paramedics said they were concerned only with the drug-takers’ injuries and any information on the drugs would come from police or other authorities.

PMA has been linked to deaths in the US since it emerged in the 1970s. The US Drug ­Enforcement Authority wrote in 2000 that “Dr Death” in high doses can cause cardiac arrest, renal failure, coma and death.

Harm Reduction Australia president Gino Vumbaca said an early warning system was needed to alert partygoers when particularly dangerous batches of drugs hit the streets. He called for better collaboration between police and emergency services.