Student who took 'party drug' still critical in hospital

One of the six students understood to have taken the so-called designer drug 2-C-B at a house party in Greenmount in Cork city on Tuesday, remains in a critical condition in hospital.

The five others, four men and one woman, have since been discharged from hospital.

Gardaí have said a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions on a 29-year-old man who was questioned in relation to the incident.

He was arrested by gardaí in the Frenches Quay area of the city and questioned for ten hours before being released without charge yesterday.

2 C-B is a synthesised psycho-active substance which can cause serious side effects such as hallucinations, paranoia and kidney failure.

A white powder substance, believed to be 2 C-B was found during a search of the premises.

Speaking on RTÉ 's Morning Ireland the President of the Union of Students of Ireland, Kevin Donaghue, said many young people take drugs without knowing what is in them, which is a big danger.

Mr Donaghue said 80% of students surveyed admit to having taken drugs and 95% said they had shared drugs with someone else.

He said a number of student unions have undertaken a project called "What’s in a Pill" to inform people of the dangers of drugs with less focus on not doing drugs as that does not work.

He said it is looking at what is in drugs and much of the project focuses on what to do in an emergency.