Warning over 'legal high'
GRAMPIAN Police have warned youngsters in Donside to stay clear of a potentially deadly legal drug.
The Piper last month reported that Mephedrone, known as Mcat or bubbles, is becoming increasingly popular amongst youngsters in the area.
The drug is sold cheaply over the internet as plant food but when snorted or swallowed is said to give users an 'ecstasy-like experience'.
Grampian Police's substance misuse coordinator Andy Imray this week said the force had noticed a steady increase in cases of people being found with the drug in the Grampian area.
He said: "We first started getting reports of Mephedrone towards the tail end of last year around October and November but it seems to have gathered pace in the past couple of months.
"We are coming across it more and more often during police stop and searches. Of course, if a substance is found on someone the police don't know what it is until it has been analysed in the lab.
"A lot of young people think because it is legal it is safe but nothing could be further from the truth. We have anecdotal reports of people poisoning themselves and it has already been linked with a number of deaths in the UK. You could almost argue that this drug is more dangerous than other stronger illegal drugs because so little is known about it at present."
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MSP Mike Rumbles urged the Home Office to take action to tackle the problem.
He added: "I was contacted by a constituent in Westhill who was concerned by the increase in the use of this so called 'legal-high' in June 2009 and I raised the matter with the Scottish Government. It is clear that there are increasing concerns about the use of these substances and the Home Office needs to take appropriate action as a matter of urgency."
Twenty-two clubs and pubs in Aberdeen, including Tiger Tiger, Espionage and Liquid, have agreed to ban anyone found with Mephedrone from their premises, despite its legal status, as part of the Unight scheme to cut crime in the city centre.
Last week Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing wrote to the Home Office calling for the the drug to be outlawed under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
A gram of Mephedrone can be purchased online for around 7 or less (one gram equals about five 'doses').
The drug has been banned from a number of European countries, including Sweden, Norway and Finland, after being linked to a string of deaths.
Possible side-effects from taking the drug include paranoia, hallucinations, severe panic attacks, headaches, palpitations, cold and blue fingers, over-stimulation of the heart and nervous system, and severe nosebleeds.
Little is known about the possible long term effects using the drug could have.
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Monday 21 May 2012
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