What does mephedrone look like?

Mephedrone can be found as a fine white, off-white or a yellowish powder. It was originally sold over the internet as a ‘legal’ alternative to drugs like speed, ecstasy and cocaine.

But to get around the law, dealers said that the mephedrone they were selling was plant food or a bath salt and not for human consumption.

How do people take mephedrone?

Mephedrone is usually snorted like cocaine or is wrapped in paper and swallowed (‘bombed’ is a slang name used for this). It can also be found as capsules and pills and can be smoked. Much less often, mephedrone is injected.

Injecting mephedrone, and sharing injecting equipment including needles and syringes, runs the risk of the person injecting catching or spreading a virus, such as HIV or hepatitis C.

There is also the risk that veins may be damaged and that something nasty will develop, such as an abscess or a clot.

What does mephedrone do?

Mephedrone is often described as a mix between amphetamines, ecstasy and cocaine. The effects of mephedrone last for about an hour, but this can vary.

• It can make you feel alert, confident, talkative and euphoric – and some people will temporarily feel strong affection to those around them
• Mephedrone can make users feel sick, paranoid and anxious, and it can cause vomiting and headaches.
• It risks overstimulating and damaging your heart and your circulation.
• It also risks overstimulating your nervous system, which may cause hallucinations, feelings of agitation and even fits.
• It can reduce your appetite, so you don’t feel hungry.

Other effects that people have reported include heart palpitations, insomnia, loss of short-term memory, vertigo (a form of dizziness), grinding of teeth, sweating and uncomfortable changes in body temperature.

Taking mephedrone does involve risks – and the dangers and long-term effects are becoming clearer as more reports emerge. Here’s what we know:

• Users have reported blue or cold fingers – this is probably because mephedrone affects the heart and the circulation.
• Some users have also had severe nosebleeds after snorting mephedrone.
• There were six deaths involving mephedrone reported in 2011 in England and Wales.
• Overheating has been a significant cause of deaths when other amphetamine-type drugs, such as ecstasy, have been used along with mephedrone.
• Injecting mephedrone is particularly dangerous. It’s much easier to overdose when injecting. Research suggests that on average mephedrone is 50% pure, so it’s not just the mephedrone that goes in to your bloodstream.
• Injecting can also cause damage to veins and arteries, and may cause ulcers and even gangrene (that’s when bits of the body start to die).
• Viral hepatitis and HIV/AIDS infections can be spread by users sharing needles, syringes or other injecting equipment.

Mephedrone and alcohol

You increase the risks to yourself if you combine alcohol with mephedrone or any other drug that causes a ‘high’ – including increasing the risk of death.

What is mephedrone cut with?

Research suggests that on average mephedrone is 50% pure, being mixed or cut with other substances, such as caffeine, monosodium glutamate (normally used as a flavour enhancer) and benzocaine (a local anaesthetic which can produce a ‘numbing’ effect). In some cases, the powder people buy from a dealer contains no mephedrone at all!

Can you get addicted to mephedrone?

The simple answer is – yes – you can get addicted to mephedrone. Reports say that mephedrone use can lead to a strong psychological dependence on the drug, and can lead to the user craving – and taking – increasing amounts.

This kind of behaviour increases all of the above risks to your health. Some users say that once they have started a mephedrone session, they find it very difficult to stop until they’ve used their entire supply – this is sometimes called ‘fiending’.

Mephedrone and the law

• Mephedrone is a Class B drug – so it’s illegal to have for yourself, give away or sell.
• Possession is illegal and can get you up to five years in jail and/or an unlimited fine.
• Supplying someone else, even your friends, can get you fourteen years in jail and/or an unlimited fine.

What if you’re caught?

• If the Police catch you with mephedrone, they’ll always take some action. This could include a formal caution, arrest and prosecution.
• A conviction for a drug-related offence could have a serious impact. It can stop you visiting certain countries – for example the United States – and limit the types of jobs you can apply for.

Did you know?

• Like drinking and driving, driving when high is illegal – and you can still be unfit to drive the day after using mephedrone. You can get a heavy fine, be disqualified from driving or even go to prison.
• Allowing other people to use drugs in your house or any other premises is illegal. If the police catch someone using drugs in a club they can prosecute the landlord, club owner or person holding the party.