Friday 2 April 2010

Another Day Another Misused Substance...

Rather late I know but I am talking about Methedrone or "Meow Meow" as I've also heard it referred to...

I first came into contact with Mephedrone back in October when I saw a friend of a friend sniffing it off a counter before a night out. When I questioned what it was, they simply replied "oh... it's mephedrone, don't worry it's not illegal." I was pretty clueless so left him to it! It's only in recent months that I've discovered the true impact that this new drug is having.

It has become increasingly popular with the young working class as it's such a cheap high and with no legal restrictions outlined yet users know they can't be prosecuted for possesion. Sounds like a great idea right? Well actually no! Here are the facts...

Mephedrone is actually a form of plant fertiliser, easily purchasable over the internet until recently.

The drug falls into the "stimulant" category and the effects are said to be similar to that of ecstasy.

It has been around for a couple of years but the media only kicked up a storm recently once two teenagers were reported to have died in Scunthorpe after taking the substance

It is thought that the emergence of mephedrone is related to the decreasing purity of ecstasy and cocaine on sale in the UK

Side effects include; headaches, poor concentration, bad short term memory, increase in heart rate/heart palpitations, depression and nausea.

Very little is known of the long term effects as it has come about in the last year or two.

On March 29, Home Secretary Alan Johnson announced that mephedrone and other synthetic "legal highs" would be illegal "within weeks".

So with so little known about 'Meow Meow', why are young clubbers so keen to risk their health and maybe even lives on consuming this plant fertiliser! And on that note why does anybody do anything? For the high... yeah I get that but when did life become so dire that a significant majority of people can't get through a night out without taking something to give them a boost? What is wrong with doing the good old fashioned thing of getting wankered on booze at the weekend? At least you know where you stand. Hangover + cup of tea and toast = Standard Sunday morning!

Maybe it's the state of our economy causing depression making these people reach out to drugs for a form of escapism? Or maybe it's just curiousity? But as the old saying goes... curiosity killed the cat.

Well, I am digressing...

I wonder what the next 'legal high' will be once MCAP has been illegalised... maybe drain cleaner?

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