Deadly 'Meow-meow' drug will be banned within weeks

Published on Monday 29 March 2010 22:46

DANCE drug mephedrone will be banned within weeks, Home Secretary Alan Johnson announced last night.

• The drug, which can be obtained legally, has been linked with several deaths. Picture: Complimentary

The legal high, which has been linked to up to 25 deaths in Scotland and England, will be banned and made a Class-B drug, he said. A ban on importing the drug came into force yesterday.

Other Class-B drugs include amphetamines and cannabis, and carry a prison sentence of up to five years for possession, and up to 14 years for dealing, plus potentially an unlimited fine.

The announcement came after Mr Johnson was given a report backing a ban on mephedrone – also known as Meow-meow, M-Cat or Plant Food – from Professor Les Iversen, chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

Speaking at the Home Office after talks with Prof Iversen, Mr Johnson said he had accepted the council's advice. The ban will cover not just mephedrone but all similar substances in a group called cathinones. It is likely to come into force by the end of April, he said.

"As a result of the council's swift advice, I am introducing legislation to ban not just mephedrone and other cathinones but also to enshrine in law a generic definition so that, as with synthetic cannabinoids, we can be in the forefront of dealing with this whole family of drugs," he said.

"This will stop unscrupulous manufacturers and others peddling different but similarly harmful drugs.

"My department will lay the necessary Order in Parliament. I am seeking cross-party support to swiftly ban these dangerous drugs from our streets. Parliament permitting, I hope to do this in a matter of weeks.

"In the meantime, I have banned the importation of mephedrone, other cathinones, and all products containing these drugs with immediate effect.

"The government is determined to crack down on these so-called legal highs and we must all play a part in ensuring children and young people know about their dangers."

The ban was welcomed by Scottish community safety minister Fergus Ewing, who has twice written to the Home Office raising the Scottish Government's concerns over "legal highs".

Mr Ewing said: "It is essential that people are aware of the very real dangers from mephedrone and similar so-called legal highs.

"I promise to work with the UK government to act as quickly as possible to ensure that the ban will be enforced across Scotland.

Mr Johnson denied the ACMD was in "any sort of turmoil" over the resignation of Dr Polly Taylor. Dr Taylor quit as the veterinary member on the committee, accusing ministers of not dealing fairly with independent scientific advice.

The Home Secretary also denied the resignation would affect the legality of the ban, saying the ACMD was "legally constituted" when its advice was put forward.

Prof Iversen said the generic ban would mean there would be no way around the ban despite what any "smart chemist in China" could come up with.

It would be much harder to find a way around the ban with a different, but similar, chemical substance, compared to bans in other European countries, he added.

Prof Iversen said the rise of mephedrone was an "alarming trend" and the growth in use was unprecedented.

He said his message to users was: "This is not a simple, harmless party drug. Just because it is legal doesn't mean it is safe."

Speaking to the council yesterday, he said: "A ban may not impact on all users or dealers but one of the alarming features of mephedrone is that it is being taken by young people who have never taken illicit drugs.

"They are taking it because it is legal and they think it is safe. We can convey two messages to that community: it is not safe and it is not legal."

The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) lead on drugs, Chief Constable Tim Hollis, said: "Given the recent public concern surrounding the death of young people who may have taken mephedrone, Acpo broadly welcomes the government's decision to classify it as a Class B drug."

Highs and lows of 'favourite recreational drug'

IN JUST over a year, the dance drug mephedrone has become one of the most widely used recreational drugs in Britain. In February the clubbing magazine Mixmag christened it "the UK's favourite new drug".

Used as a replacement for ecstasy or cocaine, it is sold on the internet for around 10 a gram.

And unlike cocaine, it is unlikely to be cut with baking soda, paracetamol or more dangerous substances. Buying it online with a credit card is straightforward and avoids contact with drug dealers.

A poll for the magazine found four out of ten had tried it and a third had taken it within the previous month. One in six said they took it every week.

It is most often snorted in powder form but can also be obtained in pills and capsules.

Side-effects include headaches, palpitations, nausea, high blood pressure, a burning throat and nose bleeds. Police have linked mephedrone to the death of 19-year-old Jordan Kiltie in Ayr.