'Internet drug' meow meow set for classification as illegal substance

Health director-general Ray Busuttil told The Times today that meow meow and “all similar products” – a reference to the plethora of legal highs available on the internet for purchasing – will be “made illegal in the coming weeks.”

Meow Meow, or mephedrone, was being investigated in UK in the wake of two teenagers’ deaths. The two boys from Scunthorpe are believed to have taken the stimulant shortly before their deaths. Several newpapers report that the synthetic drug is legally sold on the internet under names such as “M-CAT”, and “drone”, but is not subject to medical regulations because it is sold as plant fertiliser.

Legal drugs and “legal highs” are substances used like illegal recreational drugs, such as cocaine or cannabis, but not covered by drug misuse laws. They currently include a number of drugs such as mephedrone and salvia. Legal highs are marketed under dozens of different names, including, Legal E, Legal Cocaine, Fast Lane and Silver Bullet.

Meow meow is a common name for 4‐Methylmethcathinone, a synthetic substance based on the cathinone compounds found in the khat plant of eastern Africa, which locals chew for an amphetamine-like high. Meow meow can come in the form of capsules, tablets or white powder that users may swallow, snort or even inject. It acts as a stimulant and a “psychedelic”, with reportedly similar properties to the drug ecstasy (MDMA).

Other street names for mephedrone, or meow meow, include 4MMC, M-CAT, meow, miaow or drone. It can be obtained relatively easily via the internet, where it is often sold as plant food, a “research chemical” or a “legal high”.

Mephedrone users report that it stimulates the body, typically causing heightened awareness, excitement, alertness, lowered inhibitions and talkativeness.

Although medical and scientific information on mephedrone is scarce, the risks are likely to be increased if it is used alongside alcohol, other stimulants or depressant substances.

Although a drug may be referred to as being legal, this does not mean it is safe or approved for use; simply that it has not been declared illegal. Equally, the use of the term “legal drug” does not mean that a substance is a prescribed drug with a medical use. Because many legal highs are relatively new and occupy a grey area within the law, they are often untested. This means no one can really be sure that they are safe.