The government is set to prioritise in finding out more about the dangers of using the substance, mephedrone which has become the fourth most popular substance in an academic survey undertaken by magazine, Mixmag. Its advisory panel has written to the Home Secretary warning that substances like these could have “serious public health implications.”

To get round the Medicines Act, mephedrone is widely sold online as a “plant food” (even though it has no acknowledged use as a fertiliser), and can be snorted, taken in pill form, mixed with a drink or injected (although rare). Users have described the effect as similar to that of cocaine and ecstasy. The results of the survey have revealed:

51% of mephedrone users suffered from headaches; 43% from heart palpitations; 27% from nausea; and 15% from cold or blue fingers.

It will be interesting to see comments from the newly formed body, the Independent Council of Drug Harms (formed by ex-head of the ACMD Professor Nutt).