Mephedrone Though Legal in Most Countries Linked to Serious Adverse Effects

A little known synthetic stimulant drug mephedrone is spreading through North America, Europe and Australia. It is producing similar effects as cocaine, amphetamine or ecstasy, thus becoming in effect the legal alternative of these drugs.

Mephedrone, also called methylephedrone, is recreational drug known on the street as "miaow miaow," "M-cat" and "bubbles." It is an amphetamine and cathinone class drug in a group of psychoactive drugs producing similar psychological effects as ecstasy.

Mephedrone has a stimulant effect on the central nervous system. Among its reported effects are euphoria, excitement and alertness. The users, however, have also reported quite a few adverse effects including paranoia, increased heart rate and palpitations, anxiety, restlessness, nose bleeds, headaches and nausea.

Mephedrone is sold as white or off-white powder. It also comes in the form of tablets or capsules and can be swallowed, snorted or injected. Snorting is the most popular way of using the drug.

Very little is known about toxicity and pharmacology of mephedrone. It is based on the cathinone compounds also found in the Khat plant of East Africa.

New reports on the dangers of mephedrone are coming from Great Britain where a woman died shortly after taking the drug in January and later in March two men. These were by no means the first reported deaths. At least 25 mephedrone-related deaths, though without conclusive scientific proof, were reported in Britain prompting the Government to introduce legislation to ban the drug. Since April 16, mephedrone is illegal in the country with penalties up to five years in prison for its possession and up to 14 years for the dealing of the drug.

There is little international control, so mephedrone can easily be bought on-line as "plant-food." United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is reporting that Google data are suggesting that mephedrone-related searches and how to buy it have skyrocketed in the last 12 months, especially in Europe.

Because the drug is not under international control and in absence of any human testing, not enough is known about the full effects of mephedrone long- or short-term use, as well as the extent and patterns of its use in individual countries.

Mephedrone first appeared on the market in 2007 and the first seizure of the drug has been reported the same year in France. Allegedly manufactured in China, mephedrone has so far also been banned in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Romania, Croatia, Israel and New Zealand. The drug is unscheduled in the United States; however it is illegal in North Dakota.

In Europe, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and the European Police Office (Europol) are preparing a report on mephedrone expected to be completed by this summer.

According to UNODC, there are worldwide more users of synthetic amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) than cocaine and heroine combined. In the last two decades, ATS-related production has been reported in 60 countries with new drugs emerging on the market every year. These new synthetic drugs are engineered to dodge international controls by small modification to the chemistry.

Source: UNODC