Overview

Mephedrone was recently classed as an illegal drug in the UK after it was reported that several people died following use of the drug.
Previous to this, Mephedrone was advertised as a legal drug and could be bought on the internet. However, the deaths resulted in the government taking action and banning the drug, which received a Class B status meaning it can result in a prison sentence on conviction for those who use, distribute or carry it.
Until recently researchers have not been able to detect the drug when performing drug tests, but improved methods now make it detectable.

Mephedrone

Mephedrone called M-Cat and Meow, is a Methyl-ephedrone and comes in a white crystalline powder which operates as a short-acting stimulant, usually snorted although some choose to consume pills. Its effects are similar to Class A drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy with users reporting that Mephedrone gives an initial euphoria – the feeling of being happy and content, increased excitement and becoming extremely talkative. Heavy usage can cause nose bleeding after being snorted and has severe side effects again comparable to those of cocaine and ecstasy.
One dose is usually between 0.5 to 1 gram and after consuming the drug the user will experience a peak which lasts for about an hour.

Hair Drug Testing for Mephedrone

Trimega Laboratories can test for Mephedrone by taking a hair sample. Hair drug testing is an innovative and extremely reliable method of detecting whether a person has used Mephedrone and is currently the only way of proving whether someone is a long term consumer or not. In order to perform a hair follicle test, a sample of hair is required, which will provide a history of drug consumption. Each 1.2cm of hair length provides 30 days of history; therefore 3.6cm hair length would give a 90-day history.

Head hair is the most common to use, but any type of body hair can be used providing it is long enough. Once a drug enters the blood stream it is embedded in the hair follicle root and with hair growth above the scalp surface can then be sampled ready for analysis.

Liquid chromatography / tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) is a confirmation level test which is then used to determine the presence and quantity of drug in hair.

Compared to other methods of testing for drugs, hair testing will not give false positives or negatives and is therefore very reliable.