91Èȱ¬

Legal Highs

Five weeks after the synthetic stimulant Mephedrone was banned, the Internet is buzzing with the next generation of alternative drugs promising new highs. Researchers have identified more than 400 other so-called Legal Highs, with two giving Welsh drug agency workers particular cause for concern.

Last updated: 24 May 2010

First broadcast on 91Èȱ¬ Radio Wales, Monday 24 May, 6.30pm

For a drug that was virtually unheard of twelve months ago, Mephedrone boasts an impressive list of alternative names.

Meow or M-Cat, Bolt or Bubble, it's a synthetic stimulant belonging to the chemical class of cathinones.

Produced in Chinese laboratories and sold over the Internet, Mephedrone quickly became popular among young clubbers, both for its euphoric effect - and for its status as a Legal High outside the Misuse of Drugs Act.

"As soon as Mephedrone became popular we all stopped the illegal drugs. We got it from the website, delivered to the house," one regular clubber and Mephedrone user tells Radio Wales' "Eye on Wales" programme.

"No matter what website you were ordering it from, you were getting the same quality, it was consistent. There was a sort of a whole safe element to the purchase that you didn't used to have before."

But since April, Mephedrone and its related compounds have been illegal after measures were rushed through Parliament on the recommendation of the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs.

The ACMD found the substance was "likely to be harmful" after the drug was linked to a number of deaths - although there has been no conclusive scientific proof that it was responsible for any of them on its own.

As a Class B drug - the same category as cannabis and amphetamines - anyone now found carrying Mephedrone could face up to five years imprisonment - while dealers could receive up to 14 years.

But already new products are appearing online to take its place. Paolo Deluca is a researcher with the Psychonaut Research Project, a Europe-wide initiative to identify Legal Highs.

"We have been monitoring a lot of websites for the past two years and we have identified more than 400 Legal Highs that are for sale on the Internet."

"We have at the moment a couple of compounds that are clearly marketed as a replacement for Mephedrone, especially from those websites which were previously selling Mephedrone. One is called MDAI and the other is NRG1."

It doesn't take long on the Internet to confirm Paolo Deluca's findings. A quick search throws up numerous websites selling MDAI and NRG1.

Some offer them as "research chemicals", others as "plant food". All mark them as "not for human consumption" to stay within the law.

It's a warning which the regular clubber and former Mephedrone user who spoke to "Eye on Wales" may well ignore.

"We'll probably have a discussion and see if there is any information online about whether somebody has used any of these new Legal Highs."

"Or there will be a sample test group who will try it on our behalf and then we'll take it the next time."

It's not just potential users that are trawling the Internet for information on the next wave of Legal Highs. Experts like Janet Roberts from the Wales Drug and Alcohol Helpline are also researching into compounds like NRG-1.

"Some of the reports have been really worrying. They are talking about this could actually lead to brain cells dying off, insomnia, paranoia, very harsh comedowns where people feel severely depressed, even suicidal."

"All the same concerns we had with Mephedrone are going to be out there - and maybe worse - with this new NRG-1"

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has already announced that it is to review the family of drugs that includes NRG1.

But with literally hundreds of possible replacements already identified it's clear that Legal Highs will ask profound questions of the way society seeks to control drug misuse for some time to come.


Bookmark this page:

Updates Archive

From July 2012 we're moving all our content and 'Updates' pages, with information on the programme, to . For a time while we make the transition, you'll still be able to access an archive of previous programme updates here.

More from 91Èȱ¬ Wales

Listen online

A new look for 91Èȱ¬ Radio online: listen live on your computer - and now on your smartphone.

91Èȱ¬ iD

91Èȱ¬ navigation

91Èȱ¬ © 2014 The 91Èȱ¬ is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.