Published: 31/08/25 | 16:36
Users of alpha-PVP report that the drug is more hazardous and addictive than many others. It can lead to terrifying hallucinations and painful abscesses under the skin. A woman in her twenties squats near the Sörnäinen metro station in Kurvi, Helsinki while smoking alpha-PVP a recreational stimulant.
Suddenly she jumps up excitedly running to her friends sitting on benches in Vaasanpuistikko.
Her brief euphoria quickly fades. Soon, she is crying as she talks about her worries claiming she heard someone on the tram say that her boyfriend’s limbs had been amputated.
Alpha-PVP and other intoxicants can cause users to experience hallucinations.
“I’ve been very disappointed in using PV (alpha-PVP). I pray for myself,” she says.
This is an everyday scene in Vaasanpuistikko, commonly referred to as “Piritori.” The use of alpha-PVP is on the rise in Finland and many users are in increasingly poor condition. Hospital emergency rooms have noticed this trend that for instance HUS hospitals alone saw around one hundred patients affected by thumb use each month during the summer.
We spent a day observing a square popular with substance users to understand the situation from their perspective. Due to the sensitive nature of the topic the individuals are not identified by full names or shown in full view.
