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The Health Minister´s comments came after concerns were raised about a social media message put out by the agency.

Northern Ireland’s Health Minister has described a Public Health Agency warning about drug taking as “practical”.

Mike Nesbitt was speaking after a number of DUP representatives expressed concern at the social media message which warns “people who may use drugs at concerts, festivals and in nightlife settings” of an “increased risk due to high-strength MDMA, as well as new drugs in circulation such as pink powders”.

DUP MP Carla Lockhart said people would see it as “advice on how to use illegal drugs more safely at music festivals”, adding: “That sends the wrong message.”

DUP MLA Harry Harvey raised the matter with Mr Nesbitt during questions for the Health Minister in the Assembly on Tuesday, asking did he agree with him that the messaging was “totally unacceptable”.

Mr Nesbitt said he took the “practical view” that people will take illegal drugs, and he advocated working to “mitigate the damage”.

“I take a rather practical view of the use of substances that are banned or illegal they are with us, they have been with us a long time, they will be with us for a long time to come,” he told MLAs.

“So I know there are some people who say the only acceptable message is ‘do not take illegal drugs’.

“That’s a position that is perfectly valid, and that I acknowledge, but I don’t think it is practical.

“People do take these drugs, going to a concert is probably one of the occasions when they’re most likely to take them, so I am into mitigating the damage.”

Mr Nesbitt went on to say that he had recently attended a four-nations meeting on drug use in Scotland last year, where he heard about a situation where there was such concern at people injecting a certain class A drug that in one 12-month period, 400,000 pieces of foil were given out to encourage people to smoke the drug rather than inject it to avoid a blood-borne disease.

“That is a practical step that I support, rather than trying to say that it is possible to stop the illegal use of drugs,” he said.

Mr Harvey followed up by asking Mr Nesbitt who had signed off on the message.

Mr Nesbitt responded saying it “was not striking a bell with him”.

“Obviously arms-length bodies have a certain autonomy, it was the Public Health Agency who posted it. I’ll certainly check it out and write to the member,” he said.