Drug classification: Should mephedrone be illegal?
Linked to a number of deaths, mephedrone and its related compounds were made Class B drugs in the UK on 16 April 2010 under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Amendment) Order 2010 passed by parliament the previous week.
What is mephedrone?
Mephedrone is one of a number of synthetic chemical compounds that starts life as an African shrub called 'khat'. (Khat has been chewed for its stimulating effects for thousands of years.) A chemical is extracted from khat called 'cathinone', which then goes through a complex chemical process in a factory to turn it into mephedrone. Its full chemical name is 4-methylmethcathinone, shortened to 4MMC, hence 'meow meow' or 'MCAT'. Sold as a white powder, which is usually snorted in a similar way to cocaine, mephedrone is also found in capsules and pills or can be dissolved in a liquid. In very rare cases it can be injected.
What does it do?
Chemically similar to amphetamine, mephedrone has similar stimulating effects (giving boundless energy and euphoria) to cocaine, speed (amphetamine) and ecstasy (MDMA). Although there is little direct scientific evidence, its chemical make-up and the behaviour of other drugs in its class suggest that it works by stimulating the release and inhibiting the re-uptake of brain neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin.
Mephedrone starts working after about 10 to 20 minutes if snorted and 20 to 40 minutes if swallowed. It can come on in a head rush and be quite overpowering, causing some people to feel sick. The effects of a single dose can last for at least an hour, although some people report it going on for much longer. As with any drug, the exact effects vary from person to person.
Prior to the ban taking effect, mephedrone was not covered by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and so could be legally sold online and in shops. It was however an offence to sell it for human consumption, so it was often sold as plant food (although it has no use as such a product).
Banning mephedrone
Mephedrone is now a class B drug, which means that those caught in possession could face conviction and a possible five years in prison. The maximum sentence for dealing or trafficking the substance is 14 years and an unlimited fine.
In total, mephedrone has been linked to 18 deaths in England and 7 in Scotland (as of March 2010), although the use of alcohol or other drugs in concert with mephedrone makes determining a precise cause of death difficult in such cases.
In the news
Look at a selection of recent news stories below, which show how quickly the concern over the now-illegal substance escalated and was addressed.
- Review pledged over use of legal high drug mephedrone, 17 March 2010
- Mephedrone to be banned and made class B drug after link to 25 deaths, 29 March 2010
- Mephedrone ban comes into force in UK, 16 April 2010
- Police make first mephedrone bust, 17 April 2010
Questions
Little is known about the long-term use of mephedrone, but there is evidence that many illicit [illegal] drugs pose comparatively fewer health dangers than certain legal drugs like alcohol and nicotine. Many people believe that the health dangers associated with recreational drugs exist and are made worse precisely because they are illegal.
On the other hand, it could be argued that mephedrone is a dangerous substance that needed to be controlled, before more people were harmed by using it.
Taking into consideration the information above, the news stories, and your own knowledge of the issues surrounding mephedrone, think about the following questions:
- Just because something is legal, does that make it safe?
- What are the arguments for making a substance like mephedrone illegal?
- What are the arguments for making a substance like mephedrone legal?
- Who should decide whether a drug should be banned?
For more on the media coverage of deaths caused by drug use, see our deadliest drugs lesson plan [PDF 616KB].
Image: Powdered drugs. Credit: Elad R on Flickr
This article is part of the exclusive online content for ‘Big Picture: Addiction’. Find out more about the ‘Big Picture’ series.