‘Meow meow’ drug ban advice to come within days
The Government’s drug advisers will make an official recommendation at the end
of the month about whether a ‘legal high’ drug linked to the death of two
teenagers in Scunthorpe should be banned.
Ministers will receive advice on the harm caused by mephedrone – often known
as Meow Meow – and whether it should be become a controlled drug under the
Misuse of Drugs Act.
Alan Campbell, a junior Home Office minister, said the Government is
“determined to act swiftly” on the issue but it is unlikely that mephedrone,
which is sold as bath salts or plant food, will be outlawed before the
summer as the Council still has to decide on whether it should be a Class A,
B or C drug.
Mr Campbell said: “We will receive the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
advice on March 29 and subject to this advice will take immediate action.
“We are determined to act swiftly but it is important we consider independent
expert advice to stop organised criminals exploiting loopholes by simply
switching to a different but similar compound.”
The Conservative Party announced a proposal that would allow all substances
described as legal highs to be made instantly illegal for 12 months while
tests were carried out into their side effects.
As headteachers demanded that drug be banned, scientists warned against speedy
decisions being taken without a sound scientific basis.
Professor David Nutt, who was sacked as chairman of the Council after he said
ecstasy and LSD were less dangerous than alcohol and criticised the decision
to reclassify cannabis as a class B drug, said it was premature to ban
mephedrone.
“Such decisions need to be based on sound science. Some previously reported
mephedrone deaths have also turned out to be false alarms,” he said.
Police believe mephedrone contributed to the deaths of teenagers Louis
Wainwright, 18, and Nicholas Smith, 19, in Scunthorpe on Monday and today
headteachers led calls for it to be banned.
It is sold online as plant food and is also known as Meow Meow or M-CAT.
Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers,
said that the drug had rapidly been gaining popularity in schools and was
being taken by children as young as nine. But head teachers and police were
powerless to act because the drug was legal and schools even had to return
confiscated drugs after class.
This drug clearly has the same inherent dangers as any Class A drug and I
think serious consideration should be given to banning it,” Mr Brookes told
the BBC. The problem with that is that you then criminalise the
people who take it, so we need to think very carefully about what we do, but
act with some speed.
Mike Stewart, the head of Westlands School in Torquay, said that there was no
time to be lost. He said: “We need the law enforcement agencies to be able
to stop the supply of this: make it a Class A drug straightaway, don’t muck
about.
“The evidence is there. We know it’s being misused. We know it’s being
supplied legally and the police are powerless to do anything about it.”
Humberside Police said that four young men had been arrested in connection
with the deaths in Scunthorpe and were in custody today.
Police were notified after Mr Wainwright, a welder, died at his home in
Winteringham at noon on Monday. They were called to a flat in Scunthorpe
four hours later after friends found Mr Smith, a chef, dead.
Toxicology reports will not be available for two weeks, but police believe
they may have consumed alcohol, mephedrone and the heroin-substitute
methadone.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Oliver said: A mixture of any type of drug
increases the likelihood of people coming to harm. It is not clear how much
of a contributory factor M-CAT has actually made to these deaths.
Mr Wainwrights mother, Jacqui, described her son as career minded and hard
working. Louis was such a fun-loving and caring boy who would do anything
for his family and friends, she said.
He had a fantastic personality, he was always somebody who made people laugh
and was a popular lad.
Louis was working hard towards a career in engineering. He loved his job and
worked very hard.
Mr Smiths family said he was a dearly loved son and brother whose future
had been tragically cut short.
Last month the drugs dangers were highlighted
in The Times by Les Iversen, the Governments new drugs adviser,
who said the speed at which mephedrone had become popular was quite scary.
In November, Tayside Police disclosed that five people had overdosed on the
drug in the course of one weekend.
Mephedrone, also known as 4MMC, is usually a white or yellowish powder,
which is snorted, but can also be obtained in pills and capsules. It induces
euphoria and hallucinations but side-effects include headaches,
palpitations, nausea, high blood pressure, a burning throat and nose bleeds.
Because it is often taken in large quantities and in conjunction with other
party drugs such as ketamine, it can also cause blood vessels to narrow and
bring on cardiac arrest. The substance is legal in Britain but is subject to
a government safety investigation.
Mephedrone facts
* Mephedrone, also known as meph, 4-MMC, M-CAT, “Drone”, “Meow Meow” or
“Bubbles”, is sold as a white powder which is usually snorted in a similar
way to cocaine
* Often bought online as plant food, marked “not for human consumption”, it
came to prominence as a recreational drug in Europe in 2007. Also found in
capsules, pills or dissolved in a liquid, in very rare cases users have
reported injecting the drug
* A recent survey for the dance magazine Mixmag found that 7 per cent of
clubbers had tried mephedrone, with 33.6 per cent of users having taken it
in the last month
* The effects of taking it are reported to be similar to amphetamines or
Ecstasy users say they feel more alert, confident and talkative, with the
effects lasting about an hour Reported side-effects include headaches,
palpitations, nausea, cold or blue fingers, but the long-term effects are
largely unknown. Heavy use has been linked to paranoia, hallucinations and
serious panic attacks
* Countries where it is currently illegal include Australia, Germany, Israel,
Norway, Estonia and Sweden
* Related substances belonging to a chemical group known as cathinones,
include methedrone and methylone, which are also used as “legal highs”, and
bupropion, a prescription antidepressant and anti-smoking medication
Source: Times Database