Some partygoers are now taking alpha-PVP deliberately since drug has appeared more frequently in the city’s club culture.
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Hospitals in Helsinki report a sharp increase in emergency patients who were unaware they had taken alpha-PVP, a synthetic stimulant often mixed into other drugs such as cocaine and amphetamine.
Doctors and drug counsellors say users are arriving in a confused or agitated state, often needing restraint for their own safety and for the protection of others.
Kimmo Suojanen, chief physician at HUS Acute, said the spike began earlier this summer.
“Patients come in thinking they’ve used cocaine or amphetamine, and it turns out they’ve been exposed to alpha-PVP. The number of cases has exploded,” Suojanen said.
The substance, commonly known in Finland as “peukku” or “thumb,” has been appearing more frequently in samples seized by police and in anecdotal reports from users. The Helsinki police say seizures of alpha-PVP have increased by 763 percent compared to the previous year.
According to Jenny Kaasinen-Wickman, planning officer at the A-Clinic Foundation, the risk is highest for casual and recreational users. Many are unaware that the drugs they purchase have been altered or replaced entirely.
“People think they’re buying amphetamine, and it turns out to be pure peukku,” she said.
Kaasinen-Wickman, who has worked in addiction services for 15 years, said she has never seen a drug with such intense effects appearing so widely in the street supply.
“Substances like this can lead to dangerous situations very quickly,” she said.
Users have described disorientation, aggression, and paranoia after taking unknown doses of alpha-PVP. In some cases, emergency staff have had to physically restrain patients to prevent harm.
Suojanen confirmed that the drug’s unpredictable effects have led to complex medical interventions.
“Patients have been tied down and sedated. It’s been necessary,” he said.
Emergency units and low-threshold support services across Helsinki have noticed the trend. At Symppis day centres in Sörnäinen, staff report that many users now suspect their drugs contain alpha-PVP, whether deliberately or through cross-contamination.
Kaasinen-Wickman said the situation is worsened by legal barriers to identifying substances. Finnish law prohibits possession of illegal drugs, including for testing purposes, which can deter users from checking the content of what they buy.
She urged anyone using drugs to consider ordering a home test kit online.
The A-Clinic Foundation does not support drug use, but acknowledges the need to reduce harm.
“If someone is worried about what they’ve bought, testing is the best available safeguard,” Kaasinen-Wickman said.
Kimmo Sainio, detective inspector with Helsinki police, warned that no street drug is guaranteed pure.
“Users should be aware that any drug may contain a different active substance, and that using drugs always involves risk,” he said.
Reports also suggest that some partygoers are now taking alpha-PVP deliberately. The drug has appeared more frequently in the city’s club culture, particularly during spring and summer.
Though many exposures remain accidental, Kaasinen-Wickman confirmed that intentional use has increased.
Local residents have noticed changes. A woman living in Sörnäinen told Yle she sees drug transactions outside her window every day.
She said her neighbour’s flat is known locally as a
Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
