Mephedrone — a stimulant that is currently legal in both the U.K. and the U.S. — has gained recent and surprising popularity among club-goers in the U.K., according to Britain’s National Addiction Center.
The BBC reported Jan. 14 that the drug, also known as meph, 4-MMC, MCAT, Drone, Meow or Bubbles, was the fourth-most popular drug cited by readers of Mixmag, a popular British dance magazine.
“It’s come from nowhere to become very popular,” said researcher Adam Winstock. “For a drug that’s been around for a relatively short amount of time, mephedrone has certainly made a big impact on the dance drug scene.”
Users describe the drug’s high as falling somewhere between that of ecstasy and cocaine. The drug is sold legally in the U.K. as a plant food; it is a powder that can be taken in pill form, snorted, mixed with liquid or even injected.
Side effects include headaches, heart palpitations, and nausea.

Source: BBC 14th Jan 2010

Methadone withdrawal helps many people to withdraw from damaging heroin use. Methadone maintenance however keeps a person addicted …

I’ve been told that methampethamine addicts who binge use the drug can go on a tweaking stage and its dangerous. Can some explain this “tweaking phase” or provide a nice reference site that discusses this.

Response: cotton mouth, anxiety, paranoia, restlessness

I went to the doctor for help to get through a moderate heroin addiction back in 1976. The doctor put me on 40mg of Methadone per day and referred me to a Psychiatrist who continued this dosage until he lost his licence to prescribe methadone and had to send me and his other methadone patients to the government run methadone clinic. I think that methadone exacerbated my moderate heroin addiction culminating in over 30 years of daily pharmacy attendance and now 120mg per/day dependence.

Source: Drug Rehabilitation that works Blog Archives 28.01.10

What does it take to get a wave of energy to a point where it takes on its own momentum, swelling and ploughing across a rough ocean, gathering dynamism and visibility? I’m thinking the recovery movement here and I’m watching the wave as it grows. My surfboard is getting a dusting down.
‘Tipping points’ are, according to Malcolm Gladwell, ‘the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable’. It seems to me that we’re moving toward critical mass in the UK with regard to recovery. With Government supporting recovery and a late conversion to the cause by the NTA, it would look like the environment is favourable. That’s not where I see the head of steam though. The kettle is on the boil from the grassroots up.
What can Gladwell teach us about this from his book ‘The Tipping Point’?
Well, “The success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts”. I think we have these kinds of people. He also says that 80% of the work will be done by 20% of the people. Sound familiar?
That’s why I think we need to support all the initiatives that bring the emergent recovery movement together. I see a little cynicism around some of this and a suspicion about motives and who has the ‘right’ to represent who.
We need to resist cynicism and stay positive. Wise, and careful and observant of course, there will be teething problems, but where recovering people and their supporters come together to spread the message of recovery (“We do recover; here’s how we did it; we’ll support you to do it too!”) then exciting things will happen.
Gladwell also says: “Epidemics are sensitive to the conditions and circumstances of the times and places in which they occur.” It’s my impression that the conditions, the circumstances and the times are perfect for the recovery epidemic to take hold in the UK. Of course the analogy to a pandemic has been made before. Take a look here. That recovery wave, fanned by the enthusiasm and energy of recovering people is gathering momentum. It’s time to go surfing.
Comments
Thanks for this Peapod. Massively timely and very, very important. If recovery is about getting there in a way that works for you, then surely we should be applying this to our own movement. Whether or not I agree with a,b and c, doing x, y and z is not relevant. Surely if they are pushing things along as best they can, we should – not only respect – but applaud! Not that I do this all the time – so note to self, must do better!
By Michaela on 31/01/2010 at 2:11 PM –
Pucker blog, I like your quotes. I just hope things will change for the better, I like the way you say 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. Sort of gave me a guilt trip as i know my limits and have to keep my life as simple as possible. Envy those who have the commitment and energy to do all this, like Michaela on this site, and Anne Marie up in Scotland. Pucker like I said.
By MartinBailey on 31/01/2010 at 5:32 PM
Bill White once told me that they were doing some very interesting research on the prevalence of recovery in Philadelphia, PA. They were doing a survey of the city and using postal codes to map neighborhoods by the prevalence of recovery and the prevalence of drug problems. He said that they planned to use this information to identify the areas richest in recovery support and target other areas for the cultivation of a recovering community.
By Jason Schwartz on 31/01/2010 at 6:38 PM –
lol riding the waves Peapod, love it. Martin thanks for your support and questions, and Jason we have the means to map this in the UK also….. and to watch it grow.
By Annemarie W on 31/01/2010 at 9:37 PM –
The tipping point is one of my favourite books, It’s inspirational in how it shows that small things really CAN make a big difference.
I think that we (the recovery advocates, if you will) are probably still the 20% at the moment. Indeed, sometimes it can feel like you are fighting a loosing battle. One thing I am growing to understand though, the minute you become despondent and ready to give up YOU BECOME ONE OF THEM. I have seen this in many walks of life, not just in this field. Note to self: Must remain positive For everyone else, a word or 3 from Martin Luther King: “Keep hope alive” Matt

Source: Community Blog Wired-In Feb 2 2010

The truly alarming statistic that at least 900 children in Scotland are suffering severe damage caused to the brain and organs before birth by foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and that thousands of others have learning and behavioural difficulties as a result of their mothers’ drinking during pregnancy must concern us all.
The report by Dr Jonathan Sher, director of research, policy and programmes at Children in Scotland, should act as a warning that policy on alcohol in both Scotland and the UK has largely ignored the dangers to unborn children.
The Scottish Government’s Alcohol Bill has produced extensive lobbying of MSPs, mainly on the contentious proposal to set a minimum price at which a unit of alcohol can be sold.
At present, this is unlikely to become law because it does not have the support of the opposition parties at Holyrood. Nevertheless there is concern across all parties at the mounting alcohol-related damage in Scotland to both individuals and society in terms of ill-health and criminal activity.
Both of these can apply to children and adults affected by FAS and the wide-ranging foetal alcohol syndrome disorder (FASD) which can include congenital heart problems and attention deficit disorder.
Once the damage has been caused to developing brains and organs in the womb it cannot be reversed. Yet the lifelong effects are completely avoidable by not drinking alcohol during pregnancy. The most critical time is the first three months of gestation, so a foetus can be harmed even before a woman knows she is pregnant.
Changing behaviour to prevent the growing toll of damage, therefore, requires education rather than regulation.
Forrester Cockburn, Emeritus Professor of Child Health at Glasgow University, believes that young women are not sufficiently aware of the dangers of consuming alcohol during pregnancy, although such is the range of potential problems that it is not possible to specify a safe limit for expectant mothers.
Scotland’s chief medical officer, Dr Harry Burns, has said that he believes the incidence of FASD in Scotland has been significantly underestimated and that it is directly linked to anti-social behaviour.
Dr Sher’s report coincides with a joint statement to MSPs by eight major children’s charities warning that excessive parental drinking is seriously damaging many children’s lives.
Their lobbying for minimum pricing ought to carry as much weight as that of the drinks industry.
Nevertheless while the arguments continue over the effectiveness of minimum pricing, in the light Dr Sher’s report on FAS, the call by the charities to include harm caused to other people when measuring the damage from alcohol should be accepted by MSPs. The despairing calls to ChildLine are the unassailable evidence that the extent of alcohol abuse goes far beyond the health and crime statistics.

Source:www.Heraldscotland.com March 1 2010

Teachers UK-wide given emergency training after some as young as 12 fall victim to £3-a-go ‘plant food’ drug linked to two deaths
Teachers are dealing with the behavioural consequences in their classrooms of a new “legal high” – known as “meow meow” or “plant food” – which is being taken by pupils as young as 12 or 13.
Classroom staff are now receiving training in the dangers of the new craze after an explosion in its use and recent cases of children falling seriously ill after taking the drug, which is believed to have similar effects to ecstasy. While the drug is not illegal, its abuse in the hands of pupils has prompted officials around the country to add warnings about the substance to PSHE lessons. It has been linked to the deaths of Swedish teenagers and 14-year-old Gabi Price from Worthing last November.
“Meow meow”, or mephedrone as it is formally named, is marketed by suppliers as plant food to avoid detection and can be acquired for as little as £3 a hit (a gram, containing four capsules, costs £12).
In Brighton there are reports of children as young as 12 and 13 taking the drug on school buses. College students have even started a trend of trying to drive home after taking legal high drugs, with five teenage boys in County Durham taken to hospital after indulging – with one suffering a drug-induced high for 36 hours.
Police around the country worried about the trend have now started taking action. Pupils at Brighton schools have already begun learning about the dangers of the drugs in assemblies and through the PSHE curriculum, while children in Teesdale have been given information leaflets. Police are also working with Harrogate headteachers after a growth in legal-high use among the town’s young people.
“It’s clear that increased numbers of 14- and 15-year-olds started using ‘meow meow’ at the end of last summer and we have big concerns about this,” said Sam Beal, acting healthy schools team leader for Brighton and Hove City Council. “Teachers hear about this more and more and they are concerned that the drugs are being brought into schools.”
The symptoms of using meow meow can include nosebleeds, headaches and breathing problems. Limbs can also turn purple and the user may have trouble urinating, leading to stomach cramps.
“It seems when bought over the internet you get discounts for buying larger quantities,” said Sgt Geoff Crocker, safer neighbourhoods officer for Harrogate. “It’s easily available and cheap and we’ve seen enterprising pupils start selling it in school. Staff in our pupil referral unit service have noticed a very rapid physical and mental decline in pupils using legal high drugs – and some just aren’t there any more. One young girl we know is addicted to mephedrone and she is active sexually with a number of men for money to pay for it. I know our schools are concerned about this, and are working hard to deal with it.”
In County Durham, drug workers have been warning pupils that legal does not mean safe following the incident when five boys fell ill last August. This has also meant an increased local police interest in the issue.
“We’ve mostly seen it used as part of a ‘risk-taking’ culture among young people, particularly in colleges,” said Darren Archer, manager of the County Durham drugs and alcohol action team. We’ve had anecdotal reports of it causing bad behaviour and now we are trying to offer comprehensive support to teachers and children.” It scared the life out of us, seeing him like that’
It was the wake-up call no teacher wants – but witnessing the distressing effects of legal high drugs has revolutionised one school’s drug education programme. Horrified teachers at Woldgate College, near York, watched as a sixth-form student became seriously ill after taking mephedrone off-site during lunchtime earlier this month. He was taken to hospital suffering from an irregular heart beat, chest pains and breathing problems. Headteacher Jeff Bower (pictured) is now calling for the drug to be made illegal.
“You can’t think anything else after seeing that young man struggling like that, it scared the life out of everyone here,” he said. We are not extremely receptive to this problem – it’s been a big wake-up call. It was the first time he had taken it and he admits it was because of peer pressure. This has just hit us completely between the eyes. We held a special assembly about the situation and built it into our drugs education programme. We have also been in contact with parents. This goes on out of school hours so it’s vitally important they know about the dangers.”
A correction to the above story:

The only link between the death of Gabi Price and mephedrone was made by some ill informed reporting in the Daily Mail, and the Sun and the Telegraph that reported that this was a drug death before the coroners report was published. The coroner in reality found no drugs in her body and that she died of broncho-pneumonia following a streptococcal A infection (see here http://bit.ly/7td8FN ). Such is the nature of drug story reporting that none of the newspapers that ran the original story printed a correction or follow up.

It is also the case that the unregulated vendors of this drug reported a leap in sales when the (false) Gabi Price death story received free advertising (it works, its legal, its cheap, you can buy online) from the massive national tabloid coverage (and the broadcast coverage that followed).

This is undoubtedly a dangerous drug, and serious public health and regulation policy concern – particularly regarding young people, but that does not excuse
Steve Rolles 28th Jan 2010-01-29
Source: www.tes.co.uk Jan 2010