Legal Highs, Mephedrone – the lowdown.
Posted on | March 30, 2010 | No Comments
As many of you will be aware, the issue of legal highs and in particular, Mephedrone, has been in the media over the last few weeks due to their rising use among young people and its link to the sad deaths of two teenagers who had experimented with the substance.
Mephedrone is a stimulant also know under a number of different names including; 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC), 4-methylephedrone, meow meow, Miaow, or MMCAT. It is a legal stimulant sold as plant food.
It is similar to other stimulants – such as cocaine, amphetamine and MDMA and generates a feeling of heightened alertness and euphoria when taken. The effects of Mephedrone are often described as a mix of amphetamine and MDMA, but with a shorter-lasting effect than the latter and it is reported to be very addictive.
Some of the reported side effects are very unpleasant including, headaches, palpitations, nausea, high blood pressure, a burning throat, nose bleeds (which can last over several days, especially if Mephedrone is snorted), purple joints (elbows and knees), weight loss, insomnia, anxiety, excessive aggression, disturbed sleep and sickness.
The comments that follow are a few responses from university students asked the question; ‘why would you try a legal high?’:
“Because it’s cheap and legal and gives the similar high of more expensive, harder to get hold of drugs.”
“The lows are not as bad as illegal”
“Cheapness makes it more sociable; people are more willing to share”
“Legal is not as damaging”
“Because it’s legal people don’t read into side effects”
“Readily available; you can buy it on the Internet.”
“Makes you feel happy, chatty and confident.”
“Cheaper, more purer substance.”
Anecdotal evidence also suggests that because a drug is legal, people don’t read into the side effects and assume that it has somehow gone through testing procedures in the same way as an over-the-counter medicine would before it goes on general sale. This is simply NOT the case. Mephedrone for example, may be legal, but as a plant food! It has not been subject to properly governed testing procedures over many years. No-one knows the full side effects; no-one knows the long-term effects; no-one knows what happens when you mix other chemicals with the product. Legal highs state on their packaging that they are not fit for human consumption!
A definition of a legal high is that it has the same or similar effects to illegal drugs. For more information on legal highs please visit the NORCAS website http://norcas.org.uk/adult-service/drug-info.php#Legal%20highs
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