Mother calls for mephedrone ban following son's death

THE mother of a teenager who died after taking the "legal high" drug mephedrone today said it was "disgusting" it was so easily available.

• Methedrone

Angie Kiltie's son Jordan, 19, from Ayr, fell ill after a night-out and was taken to hospital on Sunday morning but declared dead on arrival.

Ms Kiltie said he had taken mephedrone, also known by the street names "meow meow" and "bubbles", before he collapsed.

The Scottish Government yesterday stepped up calls for mephedrone to be outlawed following the deaths of two teenagers in England.

Ms Kiltie said she had serious concerns about the safety of the drug.

She said: "They may as well be selling heroin over the counter. It's disgusting. I just can't get my head round it – how it can still be bought by kids.

"Nobody knows the long-term effects. How many more kids is this going to kill? How many more mums will have to go through this?"

She said that her son was a fit and healthy teenager and was shocked at his sudden collapse.

She warned: "People just don't know what this drug is going to do to them – they're dicing with death."

Ms Kiltie paid tribute to her son, saying that he had a "heart of gold" and was a typical teenager.

Mephedrone had been taken by Louis Wainwright, 18, and Nicholas Smith, 19, before they died in Scunthorpe, Yorkshire, on Monday.

Holyrood's Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing said the UK Government, which has responsibility for banning or reclassifying drugs, must be ready to act quickly, with mephedrone also linked to the death of a woman in Scotland this year.

Mephedrone has become popular on the UK club scene in recent months.

It is usually a white or yellowish powder, which is snorted, but can also be obtained in pills and capsules.

The side effects include headaches, palpitations, nausea, high blood pressure, a burning throat, nose bleeds and purple joints, especially the knees and hands.

Other side effects are said to include psychosis, weight loss and insomnia.

The substance is legal in the UK but is subject to a Government safety investigation.