| Drug Facts: Mephedrone (A Legal High) |
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Street names: drone, bubbles, meow meow, miaow, meph, 4-MMC, MCAT, MM-cat, stardust (North Dakota), krabba (Sweden), sunshine (Oregon) Legal Status: Mephedrone is considered a ‘legal high’ in many countries. The widespread popularity of the drug through Europe has sparked various countries to ban the substance. Health Canada lists mephedrone as a controlled substance, though no seizures or arrests have been reported by major media. Origins: Mephedrone is a synthetic party or designer drug, chemically very similar to cocaine, ecstasy, amphetamine and methamphetamine. Police forces around the world insist that mephedrone is the drug cook’s way around legislation that ban specific compounds.It’s believed that mephedrone has been available since 2007 when police in France received the results back from what they believed was an ecstasy tablet. It started to appear in clubs in Britain in early 2009. Sold as a designer drug, mephedrone has gained quick popularity among rave and dance club goers in Europe and the UK. Because mephedrone is currently legal in many states, it’s become very popular as a cheap, more effective and legal alternative to ecstasy and cocaine that has no withdrawal effects. Mephedrone is sold online or in headshops usually as plant food or bath salts. Online sellers promise discreet same or next day home delivery, but always warn that mephedrone is not for human consumption to skirt current laws. As with any uncontrolled substance, quality and ingredients are always in question. How It Works Mephedrone is a stimulant that gives users a euphoric rush that removes inhibition. The effects can last 2 to 4 hours, and depending on method of ingestion, can begin to take effect within 2 to 15 minutes. Side effects of mephedrone, as reported anecdotally by users, are nose bleeds, nose burns, hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, paranoia, increased heart rate, anxiety, sweating, cold or blue fingers, and dilated pupils. Aggression has been reported by police. Users are prone to redosing — repeated usage over a short period of time. Experts fear that this trend is indicative of possible psychological addiction. Users do not report withdraw symptoms, so mephedrone is unlikely to be physically addictive. Because this drug is so new, little is actually known about it. How It’s Used Mephedrone can be snorted, taken as a pill, injected or mixed in a drink. It's rarely smoked. Headlines 'Miaow' drug seized in mail busts February 12, 2010 More than 73 kilograms of illegal drugs hidden in items including children's toys and nappies have been seized and 22 people arrested during a week-long operation targeting Australia's mail system. The drug 4-MMC, known as "miaow", accounted for nearly a third of the seizures. Mephedrone and the problem with 'legal highs' 5 December 2009 The key side-effect of the mephedrone scare has been a spike in sales – and a government policy now close to breaking point. First youth convicted for new party drug March 15, 2010 A Darwin teenager who ordered a dangerous new party drug over the internet has been sentenced to six months' alternate detention. Legal in Singapore — the party drug that’s banned everywhere else 24 February, 2010 The party drug Mephedrone is available here, side-stepping customs as 'plant food'. It's easily available online, gets you high and most importantly, it's legal. Singapore clubbers are exploiting a loophole in import restrictions to get hold of mephedrone, a party drug that's so widely abused overseas as a party drug that it has been banned in several countries including Germany, Sweden and Norway. Substances producing ‘legal highs’ no longer legal February 27, 2010 As of late Friday morning, substances containing seven chemicals causing reactions similar to previously known illicit drugs were outlawed in North Dakota… Shops throughout North Dakota had been selling "cannabinoids," which are substances that are chemically similar to THC, and "mephedrone," a stimulant that can cause hallucinogenic effects. 04 February 2010
When bubbles appeared on the Dundee drugs scene, it was rumoured it was a mixture of cocaine and ecstasy—two class A substances with a deadly reputation. That was soon disproved but bubbles, otherwise known as mephedrone, soon earned a sinister reputation all of its own, despite being entirely legal and derived from plant food.
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