8:00am Thursday 18th March 2010
THOSE who advocate making the drug mephedrone illegal are offering a simplistic solution to what appears to be a growing problem among Britain’s young people.
The drug, also known as miaow miaow, is legal to possess but experts warn of the dangers of taking it.
It has been described as the “favourite new drug” among the nation’s clubbing generation but is thought to have contributed to the deaths of a number of young people, most recently two teenagers in Scunthorpe.
Normally sold as a plant fertiliser, mephedrone can have side effects including headaches, palpitations, nausea, high blood pressure, a burning throat, and nose bleeds.
There are growing calls to make the drug illegal but, while this would undoubtedly reduce the ease of its availability, we would question whether a ban alone will solve the problem.
Drugs such as heroin, cocaine and ecstasy are all widely available despite their illegal status.
If experts recommend adding mephedrone to the list of banned substances then this should happen as quickly as possible.
What is more important, however, is better education for our young people. Stopping teenagers from experimenting with alcohol, cigarettes or illegal drugs is virtually impossible. Rebellion and experimentation are natural instincts for the young.
But that does not mean we should not educate and inform our young people. The more they know, the more likely it is they will make informed choices.
Making mephedrone illegal may well be a step in the right direction but it is no silver bullet.
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