Mephedrone: when science and policy fell out

Abstract

Mephedrone is a stimulant drug of abuse whose public profile rose dramatically in 2009. At that time, it was designated as ‘legal high’ and was predominantly sold over the Internet for as little as £10 a gram, meaning it quickly became the UK's sixth most popular recreational drug. Media furore over mephedrone came on the back of several reports of teenage deaths attributed to the drug, and the government was pressed into action, banning the substance despite lacking the scientific evidence necessary to do so. So, it seems that the politics and science of drugs were at odds in the curious case of mephedrone. This article represents a synthesis of the heretofore limited evidence base on mephedrone into a risk assessment, with a closing discussion which looks at issues raised by the mephedrone saga with respect to present and future drug legislation in the UK.

Keywords:

• mephedrone
• legal highs
• Internet
• media
• ACMD
• policy reform

Acknowledgement

I am grateful to Dr. T.M. Williams of the Psychopharmacology Unit, University of Bristol, UK, for his guidance in this project.