Mephedrone
Drug: Mephedrone
Street names: Mieow, Meow, Meph, Mephedrone, MCAT,
4MMC
Similar drugs: Methylone, Methedrone, Naphyrone
Drug type: Stimulant
Legal status: Mephedrone used to be a 'legal high'.
But that all changed in April 2010, when it was reclassified as a
Class B drug.
Now, if you're caught with it, you could go to prison for five
years. Anyone dealing mephedrone could face a maximum of 14 years
in jail plus a hefty fine.
What is it? You either take mephedrone as a pill,
snort it or bomb it (when you wrap it in rolling paper and swallow
it). The 'active' ingredient in mephedrone is cathinone from the
plant Khat, which is commonly used as a stimulant in East
Africa.
You used to be able to buy it on the internet, where dealers
often called it 'plant food' or a 'research chemical'. Now these
sites have been closed down, although dealers still sell mephedrone
illegally.
Image courtesy of LGC Forensics.
How it can make you feel: For a short time, it
could make you feel euphoric, very alert, empathetic and talkative.
However, some people feel anxious and paranoid.
The risks: Mephedrone is very addictive. Many users
say they can't stop taking it until all their Mephedrone is gone.
Because the 'high' from the drug only lasts for a short time, users
tend to take more and more to keep up the feeling.
Even just taking a little can cause you to have a fit, your
heart beat and breathing to become irregular, tiredness, nose
bleeds and mouth sores.
Read one young person's 'Letter to Mephedrone' to find out
how it affected their life.
Mephedrone image courtesy of LGC Forensics.
LSD
Naphyrone