SINGAPORE : It is available online as "plant food", is not
a controlled substance in Singapore, and local clubbers are now
abusing it to get a "legal" high.
.Mephedrone is so widely abused overseas as a party drug
that it has been banned in several countries including Germany,
Sweden and Norway.
Last month, a British teenager died after consuming it at a house
party. The stimulant was also linked to the death of an 18-year-old
girl in Stockholm in December 2008.
While the number of mephedrone abusers in Singapore is unknown,
Mixmag - a United Kingdom-based dance music magazine - said
recently that through a survey, it found out that about 42 per cent
of clubbers in Britain have dabbled with the substance.
Responding to MediaCorp's queries, the Central Narcotics Bureau
(CNB) said that mephedrone is not a controlled substance in
Singapore and is not listed under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Alex (not his real name) told MediaCorp he takes mephedrone with
his friends almost every weekend. They purchase their supplies off
the Internet for about $30 a gram.
He said that the websites usually operate "out of Britain" and that
their orders often arrive "within a week's time".
"The substance is openly sold online as 'plant food' so that
(sellers) can avoid prosecution," said Alex.
Mephedrone sellers state on the packaging that the chemical is "not
for human consumption" although it has no known use as a fertiliser
for plants.
Referring to the substance as "meow meow", Alex said he snorts the
white powdery substance to give him a high. And unlike alcohol, he
claimed, it does not give him a bad hangover the next day.
Because mephedrone is relatively new on the market, medical
professionals here know little about it or its long term
effects.
But Dr Chin Khong Ling from Healthway Medical Group said
anecdotally, mephedrone has been known to constrict blood vessels,
and that users may suffer from hallucinations and paranoia. The
pharmacology of the substance and its toxicity effects are still
not well understood and those who snort the substance can even
damage their nasal passages, leading to nosebleeds.
"It can thin out the skin, the blood vessels in the nasal passage
and, sometimes, it can even erode the cartilage in your septum,
leading to a hole between the two nostrils," said Dr Chin.
Ms Valerie Wong, a counsellor at the Singapore Anti-Narcotics
Association said abusers may also experience withdrawal symptoms.
To experience the "first high" again, many will consume even more
of it to experience the same euphoria.
Consuming mephedrone may even open the doors to harder drugs like
heroin, said Ms Wong as many hardcore addicts kickstarted their
habits with what is usually perceived as "less dangerous"
substances such as inhalants.
A substance does not have to be illegal to be dangerous, and if
parents do not carefully monitor their children's behaviour,
mephedrone "could turn out to be the new inhalant", she said.
- TODAY