The club scene has another new favourite but we’re not talking DJ, producer or artist. Nor are we talking track or remix. It’s all about Mephedrone, a legal, narcotic cross between cocaine and ecstasy that is currently experiencing phenomenal demand among young European party goers.

It is thought that the drug, known as Meow Meow or Bubbles to users, first entered the UK last year, imported from Chinese laboratories where it is reportedly produced. Last summer, Mephedrone was suddenly swamping the UK’s clubs and parties. By this stage, however, it was already in full circulation across Europe and further afield.

The drug might well be legal in Britain, but it’s a different case overseas. Mephedrone has been banned in countries like Norway and Finland where authorities have linked it to several deaths; Germany made it illegal only last month; and Australia, Israel and Sweden are all considering similar legislation. In actual fact so is Britain – the Home Office is waiting on a report, due early this year, from the Advisory Council On The Misuse Of Drugs before planning to take action; it has already indicated it wishes to make Mephedrone illegal.

So what exactly is Mephedrone? The drug – full chemical name 4-methylmethcathinone – is produced from cathinone found in the ‘khat’ plant, itself used as a stimulant; it is commonly snorted or ‘bombed’ orally as a powder. A January survey of over 2,000 Mixmag readers by the National Addiction Centre, Kings College, London, highlighted that 41.7% of clubbers had tried it, and around 34% in the last month (December 2009,) making it the sixth most popular substance for recent use.

Many users have confirmed Mephedrone’s intended effects of euphoria, alertness and excitement; even increased sex drive. Mickey, a veteran clubber from Leeds attached to the Mixmag survey, comments: “You’re always trying to re-enact that first line buzz. The comedown is clean and rapid. Meph is great because it’s legal, pure and unlike coke it doesn’t have a human misery cost.”

Mephedrone powder and capsules

The same survey, however, found that 51% of respondents experienced headaches, 43% heart palpitations, and 27% nausea. Certain survey contributors even mentioned extreme insomnia and paranoia.

There is currently no information on Mephedrone’s toxicity therefore clubbers have no guidelines on safety. Chris Hudson at confidential drugs information hotline Talk To FRANK explains: “It can be addictive, with users planning to take only a small amount and then finding themselves compelled to take larger and larger doses. There have been some unsubstantiated reports that it can cause sudden death as result of its impact on the heart.”

In recent weeks the drug, sold online through dedicated websites as ‘plant food’ to sidestep existing UK legislation, has made national news headlines because of its apparent role in the deaths and hospitalization of several people. Last month, a civilian police worker Liz Clayton, 49, was found dead in Scotland; tests suggest she’d taken Mephedrone in the hours before she died. In December, five Durham users were rushed to hospital after allegedly experimenting with it; meanwhile, local press in North and East Yorkshire, and Cambridge have reported a huge surge in the number of people needing emergency treatment after ‘Meph’ use. Perhaps the biggest headlines have been for 14-year-old Gabrielle Price, who died in Brighton late last year after taking a suspected drug cocktail including Mephedrone.

There are similar stories globally – the death of a girl in Sweden in December for example – and a growing awareness by international authorities that the drug needs to be swiftly researched and controlled. Many clubbers continue to enjoy the drug week in, week out but there’s no avoiding the fact that Mephedrone remains an unknown quantity.

“You see it more at clubs. It is a regular fixture in club culture now” Glasgow DJ and promoter Ewan sums up. “It’s highly accessible, it’s cheap. You get it delivered to your house, there’s no hassle. Pills are very poor quality these days so there’s a gap in the market and Mephedrone fills it.”

The question is how much bigger will that gap be allowed to grow? And at what point, if any, is it truly safe?

Words: Ben Lovett